PREMIERE: PAPERWEIGHT // Scapegoat

May 19, 2022 / WORDS Staff Writer / PHOTOS Kane Hibberd / Pop Punk Bubble Gum.

Melbourne pop punkers PAPERWEIGHT may have started life during a pandemic, but they’re set to wholeheartedly bloom in 2022, announcing the release of their debut EP Green Lotus Blooms, alongside a new bubbly single and music video: enter Scapegoat.

MORE: NORTHLANE: From the lyrics to the avant-garde inclusion of trance and DNB elements, Obsidian truly showcases a new era for Northlane. // OCEAN GROVE: Another Voyage To Oddworld REVIEWS: SIMPLE PLAN: Harder Than It Looks // WINDWAKER: Love Language // SILVERSTEIN: Misery Made Me // STAND ATLANTIC: F.E.A.R

Embracing the nostalgic greats of New Found Glory and Neck Deep, PAPERWEIGHT have already carved a dazzling space in the hearts and ears of both fans and the industry at large courtesy of their sassy grit and polished anthemic ways, seen with particular gusto on their brand new tune.

Merging an enticing combo of stomping escapism, splashy beats and criminally catchy hooks, Scapegoat is the perfect entrée for PAPERWEIGHT’s impending new EP, while also capturing the overarching part the global pandemic played for the band, as guitarist Luana Tosti-Guerra explains: “Scapegoat was actually written in the studio whilst recording–it came about totally organically, a song that we feel was a reflection of that time in which we wanted to escape the reality of the current state of the world.”

Accompanied by a kaleidoscopic music video, directed and produced by Crow River Visuals and shot at Kr8tive Freedom Studio in Melbourne, Scapegoat offers the perfect trimmings to the overarching track, with candy-soaked visuals fit for a pop punk Willy Wonka, and the loveable group doing what they do best, as Tosti-Guerra continues: “It was so fun and easy to shoot because the concept was simple: just to have fun in a colourful space and don’t take it too seriously! We got it done in a few hours and it was probably the most fun and easiest video we’ve done so far.”

First finding their feet in the Aussie music scene back in 2020, PAPERWEIGHT certainly haven’t let the COVID-19 pandemic hold them back, instead recording their upcoming EP in 2021 and rounding out last year with a debut festival appearance at the inaugural Knight & Day Festival alongside Parkway Drive, Polaris, Alex Lahey and many others. The band have also previously made waves with various tastemakers including triple j, Unearthed radio and Triple M’s Hard N Heavy and multiple online outlets.

With a string of bustling singles in their wake, the long yet glistening road to PAPERWEIGHT’s debut EP Green Lotus Blooms saw the band record their impending new release way back in early 2021, with Stevie Knight (Stand Atlantic, Yours Truly) on production duties; but the ongoing uncertainty with lockdowns and restrictions sparked a lengthy delay between recording and the eventual unveiling to the world. But the wait will undeniably worth it, and, like a skyrocket to the stars, Green Lotus Blooms’ five tracks will transport you into PAPERWEIGHT’s sharp, shiny and scintillating sonic world, thematically symbolising moving on and looking forward to better days, earmarked with the group’s increasingly trademark glossy wiles.

“The main themes behind Green Lotus Blooms are simple: no matter how bad things may seem in the moment, a new chapter is always on the horizon,” says vocalist Haris Dillinger. “If we remember not to take ourselves too seriously and find the joy in the small things, we’ll end up in a better place. The EP as a whole symbolises closing the chapters of the past and moving on to better days, so when the light at the end of the covid tunnel finally emerged we thought it was time to unleash the EP! We couldn’t be more excited to share that excitement/hope with everyone through this release.”