Paper Thin // Living With. Being Without // EP Review

Daniel Balcombe
Sep 12, 2017
3 min read

Band: Paper Thin Record: Living With. Being Without Location: Newcastle, Australia Date of release: 13/9/2017 Genre: Punk Rock Reviewer: Daniel Balcombe For Fans Of: The Smith Street Band, Ceres, Taking Back Sunday, CAMP COPE

''I saw the best and worst of myself through your eyes'.

If The Smith Street Band and Taking Back Sunday managed to have a baby, Paper Thin would be the result.

I'm lucky enough to have gotten a listen to the new EP from Paper Thin before most people have, and I feel like I'm getting a look into the next big band to come out of Australia. Hailing from Newcastle, the lads in Paper Thin hit home with their second EP 'Living With. Being Without'. Recorded in their flat mates apartment, the heart and emotion shines through on each track.

The first track is my favourite on the album. 'When You Call' begins with a nice guitar intro followed by syncopated drums and bass. The vocals hooked me in, reminding me of Will from The Smithes and then the female vocals kick in and the song kicks off from there. The lyrics are great, describing how most of us have felt in relationships and knowing that the person we have we love, but who knows how long that will last. The song flows nicely and books along, keeping listens engaged by the male/female vocals and also some sweet harmonies in the chorus and gang like vocals in the bridge. The song is great, and deserves to be the first single off the EP. The next track 'London' kicks into gear straight away and doesn't let up from there. It has a very Camp Cope feel to it and again the vocals cut through nicely and I nodded my head along. I really enjoyed the lyrics, again about relationships, this time a more negative look although with a hint of regret and self realization with the line 'I saw the best and worst of myself through your eyes'. I love the ending, it really mellows out and has some nice guitar work.

The third track 'Post-It Note' straight away reminded me of Ceres. I loved the guitar work when the whole band kicks in. I really enjoyed the vocals again and when the chorus kicks in I love the Harmonies and the drumming work really gets me going. 'Theres a tightness in my chest, it fucks with my head, I'll pull the same shit again' the lyrics made me reflect on past relationships, be it friendship or lovers and I wondered what may of happened if I kept in contact with those people who are memories now. I love the bridge to this track, the dual vocals brings in the Taking Back Sunday vibe and it builds up nicely, exploding with a nice scream and some simple, but effective guitar work. I loved the transition to the final track 'Scared of Flying'. This track really hit me with an old Taking Back Sunday vibe. I love the dueling vocals and the guitar work throughout the whole track and I instantly sung along, not really knowing the words but the damn melody was catchy enough I got through! The song keeps punching you in the face and the vocals match, getting angrier and angrier as the song progresses.

Overall, I've gotta say I was really impressed with the EP. The production could be a little bit clearer but coming out of your mates apartment, they did a top job and just shows the talent they have. I know it gets thrown around a lot but these lads will be the next big thing in Aussie Music. They've already got to play with the legend Jeff Rosenstock and I know they will only continue to rise, and I can't wait to get my ears on their music and see how far they can go.

Vocals: 9/10 Guitars: 8.5/10 Bass: 7/10 Drums: 8.5/10 Production: 6.5/10 Lyrics: 9/10 Songwriting: 8/10 Personal Enjoyment: 9.5/10