Holly Cookie Baker breaks through 'The Winter' with evocative cinematic alt folk single

It’s been 6 years since Holly Cookie Baker’s previous release (the album, ‘This Is Not a Love Song’), but she has returned with an evocative new single in ‘The Winter’ - an accidental sister song to her 2017 duet, ‘The Summer’ with Tim Rogers.

 Written and refined over several years, The Winter is a reflective yet hopeful ballad about love’s emotional toll and the journey through self-realisation, heartbreak, and renewal.

Holly Cookie Baker leans into contrasts on ‘The Winter’, and the result is a song that feels anything but cold. Gentle guitar layers, string flourishes and a steady, heartbeat-like rhythm set the scene, building patiently as her voice intertwines with collaborator Ollie English in effortless harmony. Together they carve out a space that’s lush, intimate, and quietly expansive. 

Rather than shivering in the title’s frost, the track radiates warmth — a cinematic sweep of alt-folk where light pushes back against shadow. It’s immersive without being overwhelming, the kind of song you can sink into and let surround you, proof that beauty often comes alive in the in-between.

The Winter weaves a soundscape that is both cinematic and intimate, pairing Cookie’s poetic storytelling with lush string arrangements by South Australian composer Thea Martin. Produced by Mario Spate at Danger Deer Studios in Adelaide, the track showcases Spate’s mastery of pop and atmospheric sonic textures. Cookie ventures into new sonic territory, seamlessly blending expansive chamber pop with emotionally rich vocal harmonies. Long-time friend Ollie English lends his enthralling vocal talent to the track, delivering a powerful performance that complements Cookie’s trademark shimmering voice.

“I’d always come back to ‘The Winter’ whilst working on other music, for years actually. I’d pick it up and sing only the chorus over and over, turning it around in my mind.” Cookie shares.

“It’s a song about navigating the complex layers of dissatisfaction in a relationship acknowledging the sadness, confronting the resignation, and yet still reaching for hope.”

 “My introduction to ‘The Winter’ was on this beautiful old piano at Cookie’s house; she played the song back to front and I instantly connected with it,” says Ollie English.

 “She’s a wordsmith with really cool vocal phrasing, and a lot of the original ideas remained in the studio. My favourite element is the dynamics – from subtle whispers to roaring crescendos. It’s an honour to sing on this song.” 

Known for her lyricism and grit, Cookie's work has earned her collaborations with Australian music icons Tim Rogers, Angie Hart, and Mick Thomas, while sharing stages with renowned acts including Neko Case, Augie March, Kate Miller-Heidke, and Ben Lee. Raised on a farm by the sea in rural South Australia, Cookie draws from an eclectic mix of alt-country, indie pop, and contemporary folk influences, as showcased on her debut LP, This Is Not A Love Song.

 Capturing the raw beauty of vulnerability and emotional resilience, ‘The Winter’ invites audiences to find solace and strength in their own journeys of renewal.

‘The Winter’ is out now on all streaming platforms.