The best songs of The Paper Kites span more than a decade of hushed harmonies, aching pedal steel, and some of Melbourne’s most quietly devastating songwriting. What started as a bedroom folk project between Sam Bentley and Christina Lacy in 2010 has grown into one of Australia’s most consistent indie-folk exports, and picking just twenty tracks from that catalogue was genuinely painful. I’ve spent more nights than I’d like to admit with this band’s discography on repeat — through the acoustic hush of On the Train Ride Home, the synth-washed midnight sessions of Twelvefour, and the dusty, pedal-steel-drenched At the Roadhouse — and what follows is my honest, personally lived-in ranking. If you want to keep exploring artist deep-dives like this one, our songs category is a good rabbit hole to fall into after this.
A quick note before we dive in: this isn’t a chart-position exercise. It’s a mix of the singles that built the band’s reputation and the deep cuts that longtime fans quietly consider the real gems. Some of these songs you’ll know from a Spotify algorithm nudge; others reward the kind of patient, headphones-on listening that this band was practically built for.
Bloom
Released independently in September 2010, “Bloom” is the song that started everything — written by Sam Bentley and Christina Lacy and produced by Tim Johnston alongside the band themselves. There’s a real innocence to the production here, all fingerpicked guitar and close, unpolished harmonies, that makes it feel like eavesdropping on two friends working something out in a room together. It went on to be certified platinum in the US and Canada, which is a wild trajectory for a song this understated, and it later found a home as a bonus track on the digital release of the Woodland EP. Every time I revisit it, I’m struck by how little the band needed to say to make it land emotionally.
Featherstone
Pulled from the 2011 Woodland EP, “Featherstone” is where you can first hear the band’s signature blend of David Powys’ banjo and Christina Lacy’s keys start to take real shape. The melody drifts rather than pushes, and that patience is the whole appeal — it’s a song that trusts silence as much as sound. On a good pair of headphones the layered backing vocals reveal themselves in a way car speakers just can’t replicate, which is honestly true of most of this EP. Fans who discovered the band through this release still cite “Featherstone” as an underrated entry point into their early folk-pop sound.
Woodland
The title track of that same EP earns its place here for how effectively it distills the band’s early identity — acoustic-oriented indie folk-pop with warm, blended harmonies that felt genuinely fresh in the Melbourne scene of 2011. It’s less flashy than “Bloom” but arguably more representative of where the band’s sound was heading, with its steady rhythm and open, breathing arrangement. Listening back now, you can hear the seeds of the more expansive, atmospheric production the band would later chase on Twelvefour. It’s a song that rewards repeat listens rather than instant impact.
A Maker of My Time
Tucked into the 2012 Young North EP, “A Maker of My Time” doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. The arrangement leans into a gentler, more reflective register than the band’s earlier singles, with Bentley’s vocal sitting close to the mic in a way that feels almost conversational. It’s a transitional song in the best sense, bridging the raw folk of Woodland with the more confident songwriting that would define their debut album States a year later. If you’re building a Paper Kites playlist for a quiet evening in, this one belongs near the top.
St. Clarity
One of two key singles from the band’s 2013 debut LP States, “St. Clarity” is where The Paper Kites first sounded like a full band rather than a duo with support. The mix opens up considerably here, giving Josh Bentley’s drums and Sam Rasmussen’s bass room to actually drive the song forward instead of just filling space. Lyrically it carries that same wide-open, searching quality that defines a lot of States, an album that peaked at number 17 on the ARIA Charts and marked the band’s first real trip to North America. It’s a song that plays beautifully live, and you can hear why it became a setlist staple.
Young
Also lifted from States, “Young” leans into a brighter, more melodic pop-folk sensibility that hinted at where the band would eventually land on Twelvefour. The chorus has a genuine lift to it, built on layered vocal harmonies that reward a proper listening setup — this is one of those tracks where a solid set of over-ear headphones genuinely changes how you experience the mix. There’s an earnestness to the songwriting that never tips into saccharine, which is a tightrope this band has always walked well. It remains one of the most requested songs at their live shows to this day.
Electric Indigo
Everything shifted with “Electric Indigo,” the lead single from 2015’s Twelvefour and the first sign that The Paper Kites were chasing a lusher, synth-based direction. Recorded in Seattle with producer Phil Ek — known for his work with Fleet Foxes and Manchester Orchestra — the track trades acoustic warmth for atmosphere, with a slow-building arrangement that mirrors the album’s late-night concept. The accompanying music video, starring actress Laura Brent, matched the song’s moody, cinematic tone perfectly. Honestly, this is the moment the band went from promising indie-folk act to something more sonically ambitious, and the production still holds up.
Revelator Eyes
Released as the second single from Twelvefour in September 2015, “Revelator Eyes” leans further into the album’s midnight-hours concept, with a hypnotic, almost trance-like groove underpinning the vocal melody. Phil Ek’s production fingerprints are all over this one — the reverb-heavy guitars and patient tempo feel worlds away from the band’s earlier folk output. It’s a song built for late-night driving, honestly, when the headlights and the synth pads start to feel like they’re moving in sync. Longtime fans often name this as the moment they realized Twelvefour was a genuine creative leap rather than a stylistic detour.
Renegade
“Renegade” arrived in April 2016 as Twelvefour‘s third single and brought a bit more urgency back into the mix, with a driving rhythm section that feels closer to indie rock than the band’s folk roots. It’s one of the more danceable entries in their catalogue, without ever losing the emotional undertow that runs through everything they write. The song also got an unusual UK release as a double-A side alongside “Bloom” in 2016, which says a lot about how the band saw these two tracks as complementary bookends of their evolution. It’s a great gateway song for anyone who finds their earlier folk material a touch too quiet.
Too Late
Closing out the Twelvefour singles run in December 2016, “Too Late” is arguably the album’s most emotionally direct moment, built around a slow-burning arrangement that gives Bentley’s vocal plenty of room to ache. The mastering on this track is noticeably warmer than the rest of the album, letting the low end sit heavier without muddying the mix. It’s the kind of song that sneaks up on you on a long commute — quiet enough to ignore at first, devastating once you actually listen. Even years later, it’s a fan-favorite deep cut that rarely gets skipped in a full album listen.
On the Train Ride Home
The title track from the band’s 2018 album marked a dramatic tonal shift back toward hushed, largely acoustic material, recorded at Bellbird Studios in Melbourne with Tom Iansek co-producing alongside Bentley. Iansek’s fingerprints — subtle, spacious, unafraid of silence — are all over this track, and it’s a genuinely gorgeous piece of understated songwriting. There’s an intimacy here that feels almost like a live take, unpolished in the best way, like the band recorded it in one room without much separation between instruments. It’s proof that this band’s quietest moments often hit the hardest.
Deep Burn Blue
Released as the lead single from On the Corner Where You Live in July 2018, “Deep Burn Blue” was recorded at Tarquin Studios in Connecticut with producer Peter Katis, whose credits with The National and Interpol clearly shaped the record’s denser, more atmospheric production. The song has a slow-motion quality to it, with layered guitars building toward a chorus that feels more cinematic than anything on the band’s earlier records. This is one where the mix rewards genuinely close listening — the reverb tails and background textures reveal new details every time. It’s a strong example of the band pushing their sonic palette without abandoning what made them distinctive in the first place.
Give Me Your Fire, Give Me Your Rain
Another On the Corner Where You Live single from August 2018, this track leans into a bigger, more anthemic arrangement than most of the band’s catalogue, with a chorus built to fill a room rather than a bedroom. The interplay between Powys’ guitar work and the record’s fuller rhythm section gives it a momentum that feels almost unfamiliar coming from this band. It earned the album an ARIA Music Award nomination, which felt like well-deserved recognition for a record that took real creative risks. Live, this one tends to bring out a different kind of energy from the crowd than their quieter material.
Does It Ever Cross Your Mind
Rounding out the trio of On the Corner Where You Live singles, “Does It Ever Cross Your Mind” is a slow-building, lyrically direct track about longing and unresolved connection. Katis’ production keeps things spacious without losing intimacy, letting Bentley’s vocal carry most of the emotional weight while the instrumentation stays restrained until the final stretch. It’s a song that plays differently depending on where you’re listening — in the car it feels wistful, but on headphones the subtle vocal layering becomes the real story. This is one of those tracks I’d genuinely recommend testing with a decent pair of wireless earbuds just to catch everything happening beneath the surface.
For All You Give (feat. Lucy Rose)
The opening statement of 2021’s Roses, an album built entirely around duets, “For All You Give” pairs Bentley with UK singer-songwriter Lucy Rose to genuinely moving effect. Released as the album’s first single in August 2020, the track’s stripped-back arrangement puts both vocalists front and center, their tones complementing each other in a way that feels deliberate rather than accidental. Roses would go on to debut at number 23 on the ARIA Charts, and this song set the emotional tone for the whole “collection of duets,” as Bentley himself described it. It’s a genuinely lovely showcase of how well this band writes for other voices, not just their own.
Without Your Love (feat. Julia Stone)
Featuring Australian artist Julia Stone, “Without Your Love” was released as a single in November 2020 ahead of Roses, and it’s one of the record’s most naturally matched pairings — Stone’s distinctive, slightly weathered vocal tone sits beautifully against Bentley’s softer delivery. The arrangement stays gentle throughout, built on acoustic guitar and light percussion that never competes with either singer. There’s a real chemistry in the phrasing here, like both artists genuinely understood the emotional register the song needed. It remains one of the most streamed tracks from the Roses era, and it’s easy to hear why.
Walk Above the City (feat. MARO)
The official opening track of Roses, “Walk Above the City” features Portuguese singer MARO and was released as a single in February 2021, just weeks before the full album dropped. It’s a gorgeous choice for a curtain-raiser, with a melody that unfolds gradually and a production style that leaves plenty of space for MARO’s warm, textured voice. The song sets up the album’s international, collaborative spirit perfectly, introducing listeners to the “powerhouse women contributors,” as the band described the Roses cast, right from the first track. On repeat listens, it’s the kind of opener that makes you want to sit through the whole record start to finish.
The Sweet Sound of You
One of the advance singles from 2023’s At the Roadhouse, “The Sweet Sound of You” leans into the tender, love-song side of an album largely inspired by the band’s relocation to Campbells Creek, a former gold-mining town in regional Victoria. The arrangement is warm and unhurried, built around the expanded Roadhouse lineup that included Hannah Cameron on backing vocals and keys. There’s a simplicity to the songwriting here that feels intentional — this is a band that’s confident enough now to let a melody breathe without overdressing it. It’s one of the gentler moments on an album otherwise full of dusty, road-worn imagery.
Hurts So Good
Also drawn from At the Roadhouse, “Hurts So Good” is where Matt Dixon’s pedal steel really earns its keep, weaving through the arrangement with a warmth that critics have compared to the tender side of Gram Parsons’ catalogue. The song leans into the album’s broader theme of “give a little love, take a little pain,” and the production has an unmistakable country-folk lean that’s new territory for this band. Recorded live at the band’s own Roadhouse venue, there’s a looseness to the performance that studio perfectionism usually irons out — and it’s better for it. This is a standout example of the band expanding their sound without losing their emotional core.
June’s Stolen Car
Closing out this list is “June’s Stolen Car,” the final single released ahead of At the Roadhouse‘s September 2023 release via Nettwerk Music Group. Lyrically, it’s one of the album’s most vivid pieces of storytelling, following a character who steals an old Mustang as an act of quiet rebellion — “the road was full of promise, like the wheels at her feet,” as the lyric goes. The arrangement builds with real momentum, using the band’s expanded roadhouse lineup to create a fuller, more layered sound than their earlier acoustic work. As one of the band’s more recent releases, it’s a great sign that The Paper Kites are still finding new stories to tell more than a decade into their career.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Paper Kites’ most popular song?
“Bloom” remains the band’s most recognized song internationally, largely thanks to its platinum certification in the US and Canada and its status as their breakout debut single from 2010.
What genre is The Paper Kites?
The band is generally classified as indie folk with strong folk-pop and, on later albums like Twelvefour, dream-pop and synth-influenced textures woven throughout.
Who are the members of The Paper Kites?
The core lineup consists of Sam Bentley (vocals, guitar), Christina Lacy (keyboards, guitar), David Powys (guitar, banjo), Sam Rasmussen (bass, synth), and Josh Bentley (drums).
What is the concept behind the Roses album?
Roses is a 2021 collection of duets, with each track featuring a different guest vocalist handpicked by the band, including Lucy Rose, Julia Stone, MARO, Rosie Carney, and Aoife O’Donovan.
Where was At the Roadhouse recorded?
The 2023 album was recorded at a converted former hotel in Campbells Creek, a small regional town in Victoria, Australia, which the band nicknamed The Roadhouse.