Paper Mice 1-800-Mondays
- Format
12 Inch
Coke Bottle Green
£23.00
Chicago’s math-punk marvels, Paper Mice, return with their third full-length, a ceaselessly spiralling journey conducted with unconstrained verve.
Jerking, jolting time signature changes abound as twisting, writhing guitars, pulsing bass lines, and jazz-inclined drumming create a sonic landscape that is as technically precise as it is inherently unhinged. Twitching, jittery melodic vocals explore bizarre real-life news stories, as the band add layers of further musical invention through orchestral flourishes and occasional eruptions of fierce metallic guitar.
Paper Mice returns with their third full-length, and second for ThreeOneG Records, 1-800-MONDAYS. Still centered on their dense-but-slamming post-punk trio compositions, the arrangements broaden in scope, adding orchestral instruments and Beach Boys-inspired vocal harmonies, while the band incorporates new stylistic elements with occasional Metal riffs and twisted Latin-tinged melodies.
These choices cleverly tie in with the pun-strewn lyrics about bizarre true-life stories: a parrot who flies away from home and returns four years later speaking Spanish; an educator who secretly- and repeatedly- defecates on the school’s track; an arachnophobic driver who tries to kill a spider at the gas pump… with a cigarette lighter! The band also expands their sonic footprint, recording the album at famed Electrical Audio. The ten songs go by quickly, but repeated listens are rewarded with new details and new laughs – provided you don’t throw your neck out trying to bob your head.
—Three One G