Song Review - Paperweight - Tracks
REVIEW BY: SARAH BONNET
“Tracks”, Paperweight’s new song, is about letting go of the past and looking at the possibilities the future holds instead. It’s the catchy and feel-good anthem we needed to celebrate surviving and coming out of this pandemic (I hope I’m not jinxing it). The song, like the video, conveys that feeling of optimism perfectly.
The synth and the filtered vocals got me excited from the very start. A short kick and snare fill then propels us straight into the first verse. Here, the first thing that caught my attention was the gritty bass tone. Its distortion and punchiness is everything you want from a pop punk bass tone. Additionally, there is a lot going on in that verse: fun guitar riffs and vocal chops coming in and out (and panned to the sides). This is the kind of song you have to listen to a few times to notice all the “ear candy” and Paperweight crafted it incredibly well.
The high pop punk vocals are on point too. They feel like home, reminding me of all the bands that first got me into pop punk. Then the chorus comes in. I didn’t call this song an “anthem'' for no reason: the melody stays stuck in your head from the first listen and I couldn’t be more excited for the sing alongs it will generate when the band plays this song live. The many layers of guitars and vocals make the section sound huge and exciting.
The bridge consists of your typical (but always fun) Na na na’s and some filtered drums which later turn into a huge build-up. You know that the section following this build-up is going to be huge and indeed, that’s when an epic guitar “solo” section comes in. I wasn’t expecting it to last only a couple of seconds but the best songs are the ones that surprise you.
An explosive final chorus kicks in and is extended by a few bars of upbeat Na na na’s. They’re the perfect ending to this fun and catchy song and I wouldn’t mind if they just went on forever.
For the video, the band put together footage of them being in lockdown, videos of their friends singing along to the song and, at the end, some great live footage, which I assume is from the sold out headliner show they played in March this year.
The video is definitely something that I will watch again in a few years to remember how we survived those weird COVID years together, thanks to bands like Paperweight, who, despite the pandemic, kept going on, creating art and bringing people together through videos, online content and songs.
KNIGHT AND DAY FESTIVAL - KRYAL CASTLE, BALLARAT
THURSDAY 30 DECEMBER & FRIDAY 31 DECEMBER
W/ PARKWAY DRIVE, POLARIS, TROPHY EYES AND MORE
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