The Velveteen Age

The Velveteen Age, out digitally December 7 (S-Curve), gathers seven of those tracks together including "This Corrosion" (Sisters of Mercy), "Primary"(The Cure) and "A Strange Kind of Love" (Peter Murphy). “During my teenage years as a Goth these songs were amongst my nearest and dearest,” says Birch. “Sitting in my bedroom with my headphones pressed into my ears till they hurt, each song gave me a weird kind of hope for my future." We're particularly taken by her version of "Bring On the Dancing Horses" from Echo and the Bunnymen, a 1985 song transformed from jagged guitar, shimmering electronics and synth-drum into a chugging Fleetwood Mac-ian pop anthem of warmth and near gospel fervor. "Bring on the new Messiah" Birch sings. Amen to that.