When using these images, please credit Sandy Butler.

Siskin Green’s new album Living in the Echo asks an unexpected question: what if kindness is one of the most radical things we have left?

This is folk music that doesn’t shout to be heard. Instead, Siskin Green’s new album, Living in the Echo draws listeners closer—through exquisite vocal harmony, thoughtful songwriting and stories that speak to the complexities of contemporary life with honesty, compassion and quiet confidence.

Released in August, Living in the Echo is the trio’s second album. Together, Jane Bentley, Suzanne Butler, and Margaret McLarty weave their close vocal harmonies over guitar, banjo, fiddle and percussion. Their repertoire sits comfortably alongside artists such as Karine Polwart, The Unthanks and Rachel Sermanni, while retaining a distinctive voice shaped by themes of justice, memory, faith, feminism and our relationship with the natural world. The album’s title feels particularly apt: folk music has always been an echo—of voices handed from one generation to another, stories carried across time, melodies that survive because people keep singing them.

Siskin Green understand that tradition deeply. Forgotten women writers are rediscovered; ancient hymns are reimagined through fresh harmonies; songs of justice sit comfortably alongside songs of comfort. The result is music that feels rooted in history while speaking directly to the present moment, making room for conversation rather than certainty.

While navigating themes of injustice, grief and ambiguity, the record never loses sight of joy. Tracks such as ‘Hey Young Girls’ and ‘Living in the Echo’ celebrate the wisdom passed between generations of women, while others including ‘We Stumble On’ wrestle honestly with vulnerability and hope. “We want people to feel held,” says Suzanne: “We want people to feel cared for, that they’re seen, and that they can let their guard down for a minute.”

That emotional honesty is central to Siskin Green’s appeal. The trio first came together in 2020 after being invited to provide music for Reflections at the Quay, a Scottish television broadcast curated by hymn writer John Bell. What began as a one-off collaboration quickly became something much deeper. All three musicians bring decades of experience in performance, broadcasting, education and community engagement, yet every arrangement has been shaped simply by one question: Does this say something true?

Following a crowdfunding campaign that surpassed its target within days, Living in the Echo will launch at Greenbelt Festival. This outpouring of kindness and generosity from supporters has confirmed what audiences have been telling the trio for several years: there is a hunger for music that doesn’t simply describe the world as it is, but imagines how it could become.

At a time when anger often dominates the conversation, Siskin Green offer another possibility. Not louder voices. Just deeper listening.

Living in the Echo is released on 28th August.

The album will be released on all major streaming and download platforms.

CDs will be available direct from the band at their website and Bandcamp

01 As I Went Walking 3.28
ISRC UKUWJ2600001 | Tune Code 188375KW | Record Label Limpet Records | Publisher N/A | Composer Suzanne Butler

02 Come Away In 3.07
ISRC UKUWJ2600002 | Tune Code 448508HQ | Record Label Limpet Records | Publisher N/A | Composer Karine Polwart

03 Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer 3.03
ISRC UKUWJ2600003 | Tune Code 5581158N | Record Label Limpet Records | Publisher N/A | Composer John Hughes, William Williams | Arranger Siskin Green

04 Oh the Life of the World 2.47
ISRC UKUWJ2600004 | Tune Code 0856714F | Record Label Limpet Records | Publisher Wild Goose Resource Group | Composer Ian Galloway, Kathy Galloway

05 Don’t Be Afraid 3.15
ISRC UKUWJ2600005 | Tune Code 4161992C | Record Label Limpet Records | Publisher Wild Goose Resource Group | Composer John L. Bell, Graham Maule

06 We Stumble On 4.15
ISRC UKUWJ2600006 | Tune Code 829972HU | Record Label Limpet Records | Publisher N/A | Composer Margaret McLarty, Christina Georgina Rossetti

07 The Love of God Comes Close 2.59
ISRC UKUWJ2600007 | Tune Code 4137590T | Record Label Limpet Records | Publisher Wild Goose Resource Group | Composer John L. Bell, Graham Maule

08 Palestinian Hallelujah 2.27
ISRC UKUWJ2600008 | Tune Code N/A | Record Label Limpet Records | Publisher Wild Goose Resource Group | Composer Traditional | Arranger Siskin Green, John Bell, Steve Butler

09 Living in the Echo 3.23
ISRC UKUWJ2600009 | Tune Code 027484QD | Record Label Limpet Records | Publisher N/A | Composer Margaret McLarty

10 Hey Young Girls 3.08
ISRC UKUWJ2600010 | Tune Code 613485KN | Record Label Limpet Records | Publisher N/A | Composer Suzanne Butler

11 Matriarchs 3.00
ISRC UKUWJ2600011 | Tune Code 045656PB | Record Label Limpet Records | Publisher N/A | Composer Suzanne Butler

12 Look At Your Hands 2.26
ISRC UKUWJ2600012 | Tune Code 581386LM | Record Label Limpet Records | Publisher N/A | Composer Margaret McLarty, Graham Maule

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