Silver Birch — We Held On

One year ago Singer-Songwriter Silver Birch aka Patrick Lerjen released his enchanting debut «Oblivion» and is now consistently continuing his distinct path in the realms of Indie-Folk & Chamber-Pop with the release of a 2nd album, «We Held On».

Again Lerjen proves his flair to write songs that hit the perfect spot between easiness and mystery; we're openly invited to a warm home, but then there's a wealth of hidden mysterious details, that keep us lastingly beguiled and wondering.

As a guitarist, producer and elektronika-enthusiast Lerjen had been listening to and working on vocals of his allies for years. When in 2019 he finally found the courage to go on stage as a singer, he surprised everyone with his soft and warm voice. In his singing he's not afraid to show himself vulnerable and at the same time, unmistakably claims his right to be heard.

Just one step behind the voice, we find the guitar, laying the songs' roots in a gnarly but sensual manner and dappling in lovely melody-gems from time to time. Since teenage-days Lerjen has been cultivating his own vocabulary on the electric guitar and now puts it into the service of his stories; stories of how to live on after calamities (We Held On) or the inspiring magic of new found love  (A Pigeon And A Knife). He’s contemplating about the pros and cons of his life-choices (I Didn't Care Enough) or our society's inability to evolve for the better (Still The Same). Although melancholic in nature, there’s always a grain of hope to be found in Silver Birch’s songs.

Another quite influential ingredient to the album’s sound is the Moog-Opus-3, a string/organ/brass-synthesizer from the 1970s on which Lerjen opens up longing and wide Spaces in a loosely played manner. In contrast the dry-punchy drums ( played by Thomas Blanchat ) lash down the songs on the front of the stage.

On stage, the band plays in trio (Patrick Lerjen :: Vocals/Gitarre, Tobi Diggelmann :: Synth, Flo Hufschmid :: Drums) and cultivates a highly communicative playing style by leaving lots of space

Be it album or live; Silver Birch celebrate the art of creating tender intimacy and a yearning vastness with just a bunch of select ingredients, a home where we gladly dwell and muse.