Following acclaim for her debut album Belonging, art-pop songwriter Dorothy Bird returns with her most personal work to date. ‘Whispering Paper’ has been released on May 3rd 2025 via Liverpool’s Crosstown Records, with a limited edition 12” black vinyl and also available digitally.
With ringing endorsements from BBC Introducing, Tom Robinson’s Fresh On The Net, and a host of tastemaking magazines in both England and her native Germany, Dorothy’s sound is startlingly original and unmistakably her own. Recent live performances include a celebrated concert at Liverpool’s prestigious Tung Auditorium, further establishing her reputation as a compelling live performer.
“I like my melodies to be surprising and haunting, as light as feathers and moving from place to place,” she says. “With Whispering Paper, I’m searching for an evocative and powerful connection. It continues the style of music from my debut album while opening up more deeply and directly.”
Written and recorded in the wake of deep personal loss, Whispering Paper is an album forged in a time of grief, yetbut it radiates quiet resilience, emotional clarity, and a deep love for life. “When my sister passed away in 2023, it was like the shell of everyday life cracked open,” says Dorothy. “All emotions became louder and more defined. There was a new sensitivity—for the world around me, and within.”
Each of the ten tracks on Whispering Paper holds its own universe—from the cathartic beauty of You Were, written for her sister, to Yes Maybe, a song exploring indecision sparked by a real-life misunderstanding from her youth. The album reflects on intergenerational connection and memory in Around the Corner, present-moment awareness in All My Time, inner transformation and resilient strength in Ride the Storm and Soaring, and dreaming of remembering what connects us in Dream With Me.
The title itself is drawn from a lyric in Meteorites: ‘Telling whispering paper things that I love’— a line that encapsulates the intimate act of letting the inner self speak. Meteorites explores how things we believe to be important now might fade, while unexpected memories strike us from nowhere.
With its haunting vocals and atmospheric layers of piano, synths, beats, guitar, and strings, the album introduces new sonic textures to Bird’s sound. Brass and vocal ensemble appear for the first time, alongside subtle additions like Rhodes piano and playful synths.
Dorothy returned to working with long-time collaborator Jon Lawton at Crosstown Studios, co-producing the album and co-writing three of the album’s songs. Lawton also provided guitars and extra instrumentation. The album also features Amy Chalmers on violin, joined by a host of talented local musicians: Ryan Mallows (drums), Matt Lawton (bass), Vicky Reid (cello), Miceál Sammon (trombone/euphonium), and vocalists Kathy Halter and Rachel Waite. It was recorded and mixed by Jon Lawton and mastered by Pete Maher.
“Through making this album, I felt like I could take part in life again,” Dorothy shares. “We recorded and programmed all instruments first. I didn’t sing the songs until the very end of the process. Recording the vocals was an experience of full joy—and it also took everything I had.”
While Belonging said ‘you are not alone’ , Whispering Paper speaks softly but powerfully: ‘Live now’. It’s an album of presence, of letting go, of truth-telling through song. Dorothy Bird’s sophomore album radiates quiet resilience, emotional clarity, and a deep love for life. The result? A magical and mysterious tapestry.
Whispering Paper has been released on May 3rd, 2025, physically and digitally. It is available as a 12” colour vinyl (black), standard weight (135g), including a full-colour insert. Limited edition of 100 copies.
Buy the Album:
https://www.crosstownstudios.co.uk/store/p/dorothy-bird-whispering-paper
Digital:
https://ditto.fm/whispering-paper
Bandcamp:
https://dorothybird.bandcamp.com/album/whispering-paper
