Paper Thin are a four-piece emo / pop punk band from Australia that we’ve been fans of over here at Colin’s Punk Rock World since Colin stumbled across their debut EP on Bandcamp last summer. Colin found Paper Thin first but it was me who reviewed that first release – because I absolutely loved it. Since then I’ve been eagerly awaiting a follow up and the wait was over in September as the band released their second EP, Living With. Being Without. on Lost Boy Records.
Living With. Being Without. kicks off with a track titled When You Call. It’s a fairly slow builder with gentle yet unreservedly melodic guitar. Paper Thin aren’t shy about calling their music ‘emo’ and it’s definitely a sound that is apparent in this track. This is a song about feeling anxious and awkward in general life situations but feeling that you can just be yourself with that particular special someone. ‘I wish the world would just stop, And you and I could be left alone…’ I particularly liked the additional vocals from Grace Turner which I think help the listener to really believe in the words of the song. Female vocals is something that we didn’t hear on their previous release so this is a lovely surprise. Next up we have London. This is slightly more upbeat than When You Call and feels like the volume is cranked up a notch as well. This song features vocals from a different member of Paper Thin to the first track which mixes things up a bit. However when the second verse hits we are treated to a switch in vocalists. One voice is more warm and pop punk sounding while the other is an Australian accented tone not dissimilar to Wil Wagner. Together it is excellent. London is about how sometimes you just have to get away to be able to feel okay again and work out what you’re doing with your life.
Post-It Note is the third track of Living With. Being Without. and it starts with a stripped back, possibly acoustic, sounding guitar before a second electric guitar joins the mix. I’m impressed that so far each song has had a different sound yet it all sounds like the Paper Thin I grew to love last year. For such a new band in the massive world of punk rock, I think this is pretty good going. The opening lines of the song are a good introduction to what this song is about – ‘There’s a post-it on my wall, That says I must try harder, And darling that’s what I’ll do, I’ll try harder to be good enough for you.’ It’s a little bit self-deprecating but it’s also honest and hopeful. I like how this song flits between slower paced verses and upbeat choruses. The bridge is also particularly good as the levels of emotion are ramped up. I bet this is a great song live. A melodic outro leads us into the closing song on the EP, Scared Of Flying. This song was the first to be released into the world ahead of the Living With. Being Without. earlier in the year and perhaps it could be seen as saving the best until last on the EP. This song encompasses all of the great elements that make up the Paper Thin sound – melodic mid tempo verses, faster louder choruses with catchy yet emotional lyrics. Both vocalist feature on this track, each taking different lines and then coming together for a sort of conclusion to the previous lines. Never underestimate how great a song featuring more than one vocalist is! The chorus feels more urgent than on previous Paper Thin tracks and the vocals are a little more raw and strained – but I mean that completely in a good way, this is punk remember. ‘You ask me if I was scared of flying, And I told you I’m only afraid of the fall, Yeah we’ve done this a few times now, And the practice can’t hurt.’ Not a bad end to this EP at all.
I’ve loved both of Paper Thin’s EPs so I really hope it’s not too long before we get to hear a debut full-length album from the band. Until that time I will happily listen to Living With. Being Without. and the self-titled EP over and over again. This band is great.
You can buy/download and stream Living With. Being Without. from Bandcamp now and find Paper Thin on Facebook too.
This album review was written by Emma Prew.
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