Polly Paulusma - When Violent Hot Pitch Words Hurt (2023) [Hi-Res]

'When Violent Hot Pitch Words Hurt' is Polly Paulusma's latest sister-album, the title an anagram of 'The Pivot On Which The World Turns', which was released in September via One Little Independent folk subsidiary Wild Sound. It is possibly her most vulnerable accompanying piece yet, revealing early demos, lyric changes, musical alterations, draftings, and even spoken-word origin poems that proceeded the songs.

What is a sister-album? In 2004, Paulusma released 'Scissors In My Pocket' to international critical acclaim. Like many first albums, it was the product of many years of writing and recording, produced largely in her garden shed, and there was a plethora of overflow material, and a clamouring of fan interest for more.

In 2005 Paulusma released a sister-album for 'Scissors', an album of alternative versions of the songs. She took a live recording made at one of her shows supporting Jamie Cullum and nested it between four songs recorded acapella with a string quartet, to create 'Cosmic Rosy Spine Kites'. The unusual title was forged from a nearly-anagram of 'Scissors' to demonstrate the relationship between them - and a tradition was born.

Because 'Pivot' contains song material spanning a decade, there was a lot of work from behind the scenes. In fact, there were more than 50 songs written to go on the album, and many remaining unreleased. This alterno-album doesn't include them, but explores the songs that did make it in more detail. It provides Paulusma a unique space to reveal the different imaginings of the material as it travelled with her through time, moving across instruments and presentations. Process is on show here for all students of song, and an invitation to enter the world of this "master songsmith" (Folk Radio).

'When Violent Hot Pitch Words Hurt' joins 'Cosmic Rosy Spine Kites', 'Fights and Numbers' (sister-album to 'Fingers and Thumbs'), and 'The Small Feat Of My Reverie' (to 'Leaves from the Family Tree') to shine a light on the journey these songs make to the final product.

Shire Folk called 'The Pivot On Which The World Turns' "quite possibly her best album".

Paulusma has toured the world supporting Bob Dylan, Jamie Cullum, The Divine Comedy and Marianne Faithfull, and played Glastonbury, T in the Park, V Festival and Cambridge Folk Festival among many others, touring the USA and Italy. She signed to Sony/ATV in LA and opened for Coldplay at their secret show at The Troubadour in West Hollywood.