Ahead of the release of their highly anticipated fifth studio album Roses, The Paper Kites return with another stunning track, “Walk Above The City,” featuring prolific Portuguese singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Maro. The track’s harmonies glisten, coated with soul-soothing vocals and thoughtfully layered instrumentals, accompanied by the signature songwriting artistry the Australian indie-folk outfit are known for.

Having amassed an enormous 1 billion global streams and over 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify, the band’s fifth studio album Roses is patiently awaited by loyal listeners. Set to be released through Wonderlick Entertainment this year, Roses is the band’s first collaborative release, each track features a powerhouse female accompanist.  

As the opening track on the new LP, “Walk Above The City” sets a glorious tone for the tracks to follow, featuring Portuguese singer-songwriter Maro. Having released six albums, toured internationally as part of Jacob Collier’s live band and been under the management wing of legendary producer Quincy Jones, Maro’s stunning vocals evokes deep emotion and highlights true meaning within lyrics. 

The process of assembling the right collaborators to feature on the album was an important one for the band, Sam Bentley explains, "I remember Maro was the first artist that agreed to be on the album, which was perfect because she was the first artist in a long time who really stopped me in my tracks when I heard her sing. We saw her play in Munich with Jacob Collier and I'd never heard anything like her voice. I didn't find out until we connected a few months later that she was a fan of our band. It was really special to do that song with her."

Produced by Sam Bentley and Tom Iansek (#1 Dads, Big Scary), The Paper Kites’ upcoming album Roses is a deeply moving collection of songs, helmed by a cherished selection of artists. “It’s an album of duets - for lack of a better word,” Sam Bentley explains. “A collection of songs we had written and wanted to record with these artists.” 

An alluring, dynamic and diverse company, the Roses vocalists were handpicked by the band to feature on the new album. “It was first and foremost about finding the voices and artists we felt were right for each song,” said Sam.

Along with Lucy Rose, who claimed a spot on their first single of the year “For All You Give” (added to rotation on Double J), the band have confirmed Julia Stone (AU), Nadia Reid (NZ), Maro (PT), Aoife O’Donovan (US), Rosie Carney (UK), Ainslie Wills (AU), Amanda Bergman (SE), Lydia Cole (NZ) and Gena Rose Bruce (AU) will all be featured on the 10 track album. 

“I had written these songs and had always wanted to do an album like this, but I remember almost scrapping the whole project because it felt too hard. It was about finding the right voices for the songs - artists that couldn’t just sing but had something deep and moving in the way they sang - and that’s not every singer - it’s rare”

From their very first EP, 2011's Woodland, The Paper Kites had found a devoted audience for their sound, and by early 2012 they were headlining shows across Australia. Along with their recent platinum certification in Australia, the band have also received gold and platinum certification in Canada, The Netherlands, Italy, and New Zealand for their single “Bloom.”

The Paper Kites have since opened for the likes of Passenger, City and Colour and Bombay Bicycle Club, and completed a number of local and international headline tours, selling out rooms like the Fonda Theatre (Los Angeles), Paradiso (Amsterdam), and the historic Forum Theatre (Melbourne).

Four albums later, and with a fifth on the way, The Paper Kites have solidified their position as one of Australia’s premier indie-folk acts.