Paper Mountains Release Debut Album ‘An Olive Tree and a Warm Breeze’
Paper Mountains’ debut album is, at its heart, a deeply personal concept record. Across 11 songs, it tells the true story of frontman, songwriter and producer Toby Lloyd’s journey through the exhilarating highs and devastating lows of a relationship that transformed his life.
An Olive Tree and a Warm Breeze begins with the intoxicating rush of falling deeply and quickly in love, immersing listeners in the euphoria of new romance. As the story unfolds, however, the relationship begins to fracture. What once felt effortless and beautiful gradually becomes burdened by doubt and distance, ultimately collapsing under its own weight. Yet this is not simply an album about heartbreak. From the ruins emerges reconciliation, revealing how the very struggles that once threatened the relationship ultimately became the foundation for a deeper, more resilient love.
Written over 2 years and recorded across 18 months, the album unfolds in chronological order, with each song representing a chapter in the story. Moving effortlessly between indie folk, indie soul and richly textured production, tracks such as An Olive Tree and a Warm Breeze capture the excitement of new love, Come Home Darling explores longing and separation, All At Once confronts heartbreak, while Epilogue arrives at a place of rekindled and enduring love.
Produced, engineered and mixed by Toby Lloyd at Tiny
Triumph Recordings, the album showcases an impressive
collective of Aotearoas finest musicians. Vibrant horn arrangements are brought to life by Chris Buckland and Ben Hunt, while Alan Malina and Charley Davenport’s stunning string performances add a hopeful melancholy. Bill Bassett’s expressive pedal steel brings warmth throughout the record, and vocals from Wellington indie-pop artist January Blue – whose relationship with Lloyd inspired the album itself – brings an intimate emotional depth that resonates across the album.
Balancing vulnerability with expansive, dynamic production, Paper Mountains’ debut is an honest exploration of love in all its complexity. Rich with hope, heartbreak and redemption, it introduces a band unafraid to tell the whole story, pairing deeply personal songwriting with ambitious, cinematic arrangements to create a record that feels as immersive as it is deeply human.
