A Featherfin is a type of Catfish characterised by a prominent feather like dorsal-fin. Featherfin is also an artist, and solo musician originally from Tromso, a city in Norway located above the arctic circle, although now based out of the considerably less frozen town of Drammen. Featherfin main man, Knut Børre Lindbjør started the project back in 2015 and has to date released a pair of EP’s, Butterfly Girl and Wintersongs. today we’re delighted to share his latest release, the Helen Richey EP, as well as the video for the title track.

The titular Helen Richey was a pioneering female aviator and the first woman to be hired as a pilot by a commercial airline in the United States. She  was eventually driven out of the profession by the all male Pilots Union and died, in tragic circumstances, from an overdose in her New York apartment, the death being ruled as suicide. Helen herself admitted that following the unfair ending of her career, she felt she no longer had a purpose in life. The accompanying video is something of a mini-documentary, made by Knut himself, it pieces together old black and white photos, adding in various tints, shading and animation.

The three track EP opens with the title track, Helen Richey, which features the vocal talents of Jeremy of The Very Most and bass from Michaël of Watoo Watoo. It was also the first track Featherfin had ever written and recorded on a guitar, having only learnt to play the instrument a matter of weeks before, not that you’d know it. The track is a glistening slice of 1980’s hazy pop-perfection pitched somewhere between New Order and Night Flowers.

Elsewhere on the EP, The Only Thing I Miss merges the synth-pop pallet of The Postal Service with a delightfully expansive trumpet sound and rattling, propulsive bass line, the outro taking on shades of the sun-drenched krautrock of The Beta Band. Whilst closing track Blomsterälskare is the EP’s most electronic moment, with touches of Deerful, with whom Featherfin has collaborates on an upcoming tribute to the music of Rose Melberg, which is due later this year.

Knut may have been making music in various guises since the 1980’s but under the moniker of Featherfin, perhaps he’s never sounded more vital, exciting or current. Helen Richey’s life was an unjust tragedy, this tribute to her memory is an unquestionable triumph.

Helen Richey EP is available now – click HERE to get your copy.