Album/EP

Paperweight - Green Lotus Blooms (EP Review)

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

May 17, 2022

7 min read

Paperweight - Green Lotus Blooms EP
Released: May 20, 2022

Lineup:

Haris Dillinger // Vocals
Luana Tosti-Guerra // Guitar
Tom Ballinger // Guitar
Basil February // Drums

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A new dawn is here with Aussie pop punk heroes Paperweight on the verge of releasing their debut EP Green Lotus Blooms this Friday and we're hella excited to see what the band have in store for us. Origin story time first - the band formed during COVID and have set themselves up as key figures in the ever changing landscape of Aussie pop punk. Coming in at #4 on our Pop Punk Class of 2022, the band have survived a pandemic gracefully and managed to score some incredible opportunities in the process, the biggest achievement playing Knight And Day Festival back in December - after only a handful of shows.

Now, the pressure is on to showcase what else they've got in the tank and so without further ado, let's just get into it...

'Pilot' kicks things off with frontman Haris Dillinger and his trusty uke singing "Gotta get out of my head, I've been here for hours/Just can't get out of bed, I've barely even showered. I've reassessed my life, but I couldn't give a f*ck/I just can't take anymore....." before the rest of the band join in for 'Scapegoat' once again with Haris' vocals leading the charge as guitarists Luana TG and Tom Ballinger and drummer Basil February join the festivities. You can hear the influences this band take in with this song - with everyone from All Time Low, State Champs and Neck Deep coming through the speakers, but with their own Paperweight sound. Haris' vocal performance is on par with that of Ben Barlow (Neck Deep) and it's always a pleasure to hear him belt out a tune or two. The overall sound of the song had me waiting for a bigger moment of release, but it was fairly 'safe' throughout - however, my expectations with pop punk are higher than others (being an elder fan from the late 90s/early 2000's era) but 'Scapegoat' is a fun jam nonetheless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rArvnzY7lEo

‘Asteroids! And Where to Find Them’ was written around the height of the second lockdown in Melbourne, so the fact the band were able to write an uptempo jam amidst all that sh!t needs to be celebrated. One of the best things Paperweight have managed to do with their time is deliver stellar music videos to accompany their singles and this is a pure example of their talent and personalities. There's one section where the band just rock out and Haris ditches his whiney vocals in favour of some rockier ones and it just has me thinking about what the band could do, should they touch on a song that's less pop punk and more riff city jam. The comradery between Luana and Tom is infectious and what you see in their music videos is what you get on stage when this band play - you can hear it with this track too.

'Fairy Floss' turns the tempo up a little more as Baz bashes away on the kit while the band rock out around him. The synth is a joyous addition that fills the stop down sections perfectly, especially before that guitar solo - going back on what I said before, when the band have fun outside of their A-Typical pop punk arena sound, you can see the true talent they're capable of - this proves it. I didn't rate this song at first, but after a few spins, it's catchy, infectious and probably one of the standouts from the EP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK9LUT1duRU

Last but certainly not least is 'Tracks', the song the band dropped prior to their appearance at Knight and Day and it still holds up after all this time. The chorus gets you keen to sing, it's accessible for newbies and easy to pick up the lyrics. The instrumentals (in particular the guitars) throw back to the pop punk kings and queens of the past and the "naa naa" section is an absolute necessity for this genre. When listening to this EP with all the songs lined up the way they are, you can't help but be left with a feeling of wanting more when 'Tracks' ends. The positioning of this as the climax song is brilliant and despite it being out for almost six months now, it still feels new and invigorating to sing along to (even when you least expect it).

In closing, Paperweight are well and truly on their way in this scene. They've got the sound, the musicianship and personality to suit the genre and with more time, experience and longevity in the genre, I can see them joining the ranks of Stand Atlantic, Short Stack, Yours Truly and Tonight Alive in a matter of years. Green Lotus Blooms, while only 4.5 tracks long, gives us a taste of what they're truly capable of. Let's see them go hard on the next release and take the Australian (and world) scene by storm!