Indie-folk songwriter Matthew Birch, otherwise known as Our Violet Room, emerges from the chaos of the past 18 months with his new single, “Secrets”, the second single off his upcoming album, Not Where I Thought I’d Be.
“Secrets” is a gorgeous ambient folk tune that opens with gentle acoustic strumming, legato horns, and haunting harmonies and then crescendos into a syncopated instrumental breakdown. Inspired by Bon Iver and Coldplay, two artists that continue to inspire Birch as a musician, the song is all about “being with someone you love, and knowing secrets that only you two share.”
Also featured on the single is emerging New Zealand vocalist Estella Dawn, floating above and complementing Birch’s tone.
The track antecedes the first single off Not Where I Thought I’d Be, “Winter.” Both “Winter” and “Secrets” work beautifully together as two emotionally conscious acoustic folk songs.
“Secrets” has a peculiar cinematic element to it, evoking imagery of wintery mornings spent with a loved one. This makes sense, given the Denver artist’s love for both folk music and film scores. “Making movie scores has been a dream of mine and to look at each song as a little movie score has been a great way of creating,” Birch says. This cinematic quality, lush atmosphere, and emotionally connective lyrical content are present in much of the music OVR draws inspiration from, such as Sufjan Stevens, Bob Dylan, and Peter Gabriel.
Not only does Birch’s music evoke imagery from an aural perspective, but his music has also been featured in popular TV and film. “Winter” was featured on the popular Freeform show Good Trouble, and two of his earlier songs are featured in a Magnolia feature film.
This perfectly genuine connection between the folk soundscape and cinematic imagery seems to be working in Birch’s favor, as his breathy lyrics and gentle guitar have established a signature sound bringing in over 80K streams. “I don’t go for what’s cool or hip, I go for what moves me.”
“Secrets” is out now on all streaming platforms.
