Leave it to Paper Tigers to release a song about memory loss and have it be perhaps their most memorable recorded moment yet.
Leave it to Paper Tigers to release a song about memory loss and have it be perhaps their most memorable recorded moment yet.
The Boston indie/alt-rock band are only a few short months removed from October’s breakout EP A Schism Cataclysm, which garnered local and national radio play and blog praise – and helped earn a spot performing live on this year’s Boston Calling Music Festival, hosted right in their Allston backyard at the Harvard Athletic Complex.
Paper Tigers are:
Michael Medlock – Vocals
Bjarki Guðmundsson – Guitar
Matthew Hughes – Bass
Ben “Cutty” Cuthbert – Drums
But the quartet returns April 29 with a roar of a new single in “A Portrait of a Scene,” an anthemic guitar-rock banger that serves as the first taste of the band’s forthcoming fourth EP, May 20’s I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me This Sooner. It was written and produced by Paper Tigers, mixed by guitarist Bjarki Guðmundsson, with lyrics by vocalist Michael Medlock. Bassist Matthew Hughes and drummer Ben “Cutty” Cuthbert round out the quartet.
“This song is about losing control, the emotions that go along with it, and the relentless pursuit to recover what’s missing,” says Medlock. “When I wrote the lyrics, I was thinking about how someone might feel if their memory was failing and was particularly struck by the pain and frustration associated with it. In that context, the song’s title is a reference to a mental snapshot of a special memory you try desperately to hold onto. It’s funny because I didn’t share my interpretation with the rest of the guys until much later, so the song has grown to mean very different things to all of us. We’re interested to learn about what it means to our fans and listeners.”
That fanbase is growing stronger with each release. And while the tracks on A Schism Cataclysm are still gaining traction across the Boston music scene – a video for lead single “Ursa Minor” dropped in February; and closing track “Goldmine” has held steady on the Boston Emissions’ Songs of the Week poll for nearly two months and counting – the band is eager to roll out new material in advance of their performance at Boston Calling on Sunday May 29, where they share a bill with Metallica, Weezer, Glass Animals, and others. They’ll be performing on a stage located roughly two short city miles from where they all live, practice, and write and record music.
“For this record in particular, there was a deliberate attempt to align the release with our performance at Boston Calling,” the band states. “It was really important to us that we get this music out before the event, because we knew we’d be playing every song on this EP at the festival. Since the new record drops so close to our performance, it’ll be an unofficial EP release party, of sorts. Boston Calling is an incredible opportunity and we want to take full advantage, by sharing this record with its audience.”
Those who have caught Paper Tigers captivating live shows over the past few weeks have been treated to the new tracks on I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me This Sooner, and in particular, “A Portrait of a Scene.” With its adrenalized chorus that rises as tall as the Boston skyline and verses that cut and glide with a jagged quickness fit for the city’s claustrophobic side streets, this new track – inspired in part by Radiohead’s Kid A and “In Bloom” by Nirvana – finds Paper Tigers emboldened with a new sense of swagger and confidence.
“We’re especially proud of the individual performances on this track,” the band declares. “All of us really went hard on this, and we landed with a rock n’ roll song that makes you want to get up and move.”
Paper Tigers conclude: “We really think this record is going to blow people’s minds – both in production and songwriting. ‘Portrait’ is just the appetizer to the rest of the EP,” Paper Tigers add. “We’re writing some of our best material yet, and pushing our artistic boundaries all the time. We’re thrilled with the outcome and can’t wait for everyone to hear the results. We outdid ourselves and achieved our best DIY sound to date when we tracked these songs. They’re catchy, dynamic, powerful, and worthy of multiple listens.”
Some might even say it’s memorable. But for now, Paper Tigers are happy to let the listener decide.