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 Octoberâs breakout EP A Schism Cataclysm, which garnered local and national radio play and blog praise â and helped earn a spot performing live on this yearâs Boston Calling Music Festival, hosted right in their Allston backyard at the Harvard Athletic Complex.Â
Paper Tigers are:
Michael Medlock – Vocals
Bjarki GuĂ°mundsson –Â Guitar
Matthew Hughes – Bass
Ben “Cutty” Cuthbert – Drums
But the quartet returns April 29 with a roar of a new single in âA Portrait of a Scene,â an anthemic guitar-rock banger that serves as the first taste of the bandâs forthcoming fourth EP, May 20âs I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me This Sooner. It was written and produced by Paper Tigers, mixed by guitarist Bjarki GuĂ°mundsson, with lyrics by vocalist Michael Medlock. Bassist Matthew Hughes and drummer Ben âCuttyâ Cuthbert round out the quartet.  Â
âThis song is about losing control, the emotions that go along with it, and the relentless pursuit to recover whatâs missing,â says Medlock. âWhen 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 songâs title is a reference to a mental snapshot of a special memory you try desperately to hold onto. Itâs funny because I didnât 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. Weâre interested to learn about what it means to our fans and listeners.â
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 â a video for lead single âUrsa Minorâ dropped in February; and closing track âGoldmineâ has held steady on the Boston Emissionsâ Songs of the Week poll for nearly two months and counting â 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. Theyâll be performing on a stage located roughly two short city miles from where they all live, practice, and write and record music. Â
âFor this record in particular, there was a deliberate attempt to align the release with our performance at Boston Calling,â the band states. âIt was really important to us that we get this music out before the event, because we knew weâd be playing every song on this EP at the festival. Since the new record drops so close to our performance, itâll 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.â
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, âA Portrait of a Scene.â 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 cityâs claustrophobic side streets, this new track â inspired in part by Radioheadâs Kid A and âIn Bloomâ by Nirvana â finds Paper Tigers emboldened with a new sense of swagger and confidence.  Â
âWeâre especially proud of the individual performances on this track,â the band declares. âAll of us really went hard on this, and we landed with a rock nâ roll song that makes you want to get up and move.â
Paper Tigers conclude: âWe really think this record is going to blow peopleâs minds â both in production and songwriting. âPortraitâ is just the appetizer to the rest of the EP,â Paper Tigers add. âWeâre writing some of our best material yet, and pushing our artistic boundaries all the time. Weâre thrilled with the outcome and canât wait for everyone to hear the results. We outdid ourselves and achieved our best DIY sound to date when we tracked these songs. Theyâre catchy, dynamic, powerful, and worthy of multiple listens.â
Some might even say itâs memorable. But for now, Paper Tigers are happy to let the listener decide.Â