Folk Bitch Trio is an Australian musical trio. The trio consists of Grace Sinclair, Jeanie Pilkington, and Heide Peverelle. The trio began in 2020 in Melbourne. That year, they released their debut single titled “Headlights”. In 2022, the trio released a split with the band Bones and Jones titled “Friendly Neighbour/If I Was a Man”. In 2023, the trio released two new songs titled “Analogue” and “I Heard”. In 2024, the group released a song titled “God’s a Different Sword”. The trio announced they had signed to Jagjaguwar in 2025. Their debut album, Now Would Be a Good Time, was released on 25 July 2025.
On the heels of their debut album Now Would Be A Good Time, the Melbourne indie band open up about life on the road, their global aspirations and ‘the pathetic little tragedies’ that occur in your 20s. As Folk Bitch Trio tell it, the music industry is a sadly predictable place. “It’s exactly what everyone says it is, and exactly what everybody warns you about when you’re 18 and want to start working in music,” says vocalist and guitarist Jeanie Pilkington. “No one makes much money. The artist often ends up getting the rubbish end of the stick. You have to work really, really, really hard, and sometimes it feels impossible.” “The way that minorities are treated in the music industry? Not surprising,” adds band mate Heide Peverelle. “The way that women are treated in the music industry? Not surprising. The way that a lot of men are in the music industry? Not surprising, and often very disappointing.” “But there is fame and glory at the other end!” laughs Gracie Sinclair.
Folk Bitch Trio have had a crash course in the good and bad of the music industry over the past few years. The trio met at high school in Melbourne and started making music in year 12, which is when they coined their undeniable band name (one that confuses the festival bookers expecting a more typical folksy act than the breezy, indie-pop-meets-alt-rock band they actually are). Things moved fast: after a few early singles and “a lot of hustle”, this year Folk Bitch Trio announced their signing to US label Jagjaguwar, home of acts such as Bon Iver, Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen, and released their debut album, Now Would Be A Good Time. They modestly describe feeling “busy” right now; an observer might say they seem to be on the precipice of Big Things.
It’s an easy album to like. Now Would Be A Good Time is a tender, lovely listen, sonically somewhere between Boygenius and Laura Marling, and anchored by the group’s three-part vocal harmonies (all three sing; Pilkington and Peverelle do most of the guitar work). The album is, as they describe it, “about the turmoils of being in your 20s, and the pathetic little tragedies that you have”, such as the embarrassment of getting dumped and wanting more from a situation than you can get and “being really dramatic about it”. It’s fertile ground to mine. “Being pathetic and lonely is a great space for songwriting, I think,” deadpans Pilkington.
They have been nominated for the Australian Music Prize 2025 (the AMP), which is an annual award of $50,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. It commenced in 2005. Their album has also received recognition from The ARIA Music Awards an annual awards ceremony held by the Australian Recording Industry Association. They are nominated in four categories including best group and best adult contemporary album.
