I initially started 1000 Songs as a way of marking time in songs rather than years. The plan was to divide every year of my life into ten tracks, meaning by the time I hit 40, I was exactly 400 songs old. As I have said before on here, the conventional measurement of time is vastly overrated. It’s dry, boring, and misses the joy, fun, and hope in life!
Today’s artist is inspired by the exact same milestone in a beautifully positive way.
On Saturday Berlin-based Zora Kirin released her debut solo EP, The Bones Are Beautiful, exactly on her 40th birthday.
To mark the occasion, she hosted a "four for forty" release and birthday party at Speakeazy in Kreuzberg, alongside Gözde Berberoğlu and Hibana.
If you were dealing in Berlin clichés, you’d probably assume a 40th birthday release would be a punishing four to the floor forty techno marathon, but Zora has gone back to her folk roots for the ocassion.
I don't feature a lot of folk in the archive, but there is something very special about writing a genuinely good, profound and unpretentious folk record. Zora achieves exactly this, defining the EP as "hopecore". A realistic hope rooted in the belief that while life is fleeting, there is always beauty to be found.
Lyrically and conceptually, it is a very strong EP that charts the four seasons of a lifetime, with stripped back production that lets the vocal and guitar do the talking.
The EP begins in the spring of life with the bursting "Fly On," driven by a bold, confident guitar and vocal reminiscent of Odetta or a stripped-back PJ Harvey. Summer dawns with "Let's Play Pretend," a song with a great guitar motif and celebrating the joy of discovery. Then it's on to the autumn inspired "Step Forth," passing wisdom to your younger self. The vocal delivery on this one is a bit more vulnerable reminiscent of Dolores O'Riordan. Finally, winter falls with the subtle "Mulberry Tree," a love song from the grave.
Zora encourages us to live broadly, in all directions, for as long as you can. And I certainly agree!
The Bones Are Beautiful is a perfect sonic testament to that ethos. It's well worth taking the time to listen, reflect, and celebrate the seasons of your own life!
The Bones Are Beautiful by Zora Kirin was out on 15th August 2026.