Polly Paulusma

Polly Paulusma released her debut 'Scissors In My Pocket' on Bjork's label One Little Indian to critical acclaim in 2004. Since then she's recorded nine albums, soundtracks and live albums, founded a record label (Wild Sound) which has supported the work of nine other indie-folk artists, produced work by artists such as Harry Harris, Stylusboy and Mortal Tides, and completed a PhD on the novelist Angela Carter's folk singing. Her eighth album 'Invisible Music: folk songs that influenced Angela Carter', released on Wild Sound/One Little Independent, renders this in musical terms. Her ninth, 'The Pivot On Which The World Turns', was released in September 2022, and its sister album ''When Violent Hot Pitch Words Hurt' in February 2023. A new album produced by Ethan Johns will be recorded at the end of 2023 and is slated for release in 2024.

About 'Pivot' (2022)

“the work of a master songsmith” —UK Folk Radio 2022

“quite possibly her best album” — Shire Folk 2022

“an immense heartbeat with an eternal pulse […] recall[s] the blanketed starlit texture of Nick Drake’s warm ‘Northern Sky’ with a bit of John Martyn’s ‘Spencer The Rover’ in its melodic soul” — folking.com 2022

About 'Invisible Music' (2021):

The Guardian/Observer **** 'a vibrant, insightful tribute'
BBC Radio 2 Folk Show 'intoxicating... an impressive album that really deserves to be heard'
Shire Folk 'one of the landmark releases of the year’
FATEA ‘a truly fascinating album and a joy to unpick its layers’
Folk Radio UK 'a terrific traditional folk album and a fascinating insight into Carter’s creative process'

About older albums:

Uncut (2004) **** 'Astonishingly mature debut from Britain’s brainiest new singer-songwriter [...] Scissors in my Pocket is an album for connoisseurs of grown up songwriting, littered with arresting references, both literary and musical. […] Joni Mitchell gave up songwriting after 1994’s Turbulent Indigo. A decade on, we may finally have found a worthy successor.'

Uncut, December 2004 – 100 albums of the year
“Never mind all the fuss about Joss Stone and Amy Winehouse. As far as Uncutis concerned, the finest young British female singer-songwriter to emerge over the last 12 months is the brainy Cambridge graduate Polly Paulusma, with a debut album of mature and literate songs brimful of emotional resonance, potent melodies and meltingly heartfelt vocals.”

MOJO (2004) **** 'complete, pure and personal'

Nic Harcourt, Morning Becomes Eclectic, KCRW (2004) 'the best album to come out of the UK this year'

Daily Telegraph (2004) 'outstanding'

Allmusic.com (2004) 'a spectacular debut'

Ruth Barnes, 6Music (2012) 'pure folk pop genius'

Rolling Stone USA (2004) 'an enchanting debut of understated, intelligent folk pop'