It’s been more than three and a half years since local indie/electro pop group Paper Route released their sophomore album, the wildly underrated 2012 effort The Peace of Wild Things. We’ve been eagerly awaiting a followup ever since, and this year, it’ll finally arrive. As you may recall, back in 2014, we chatted with frontman JT Daly on our own podcast, where he opened up about the group’s creative process, career hurdles, and future plans, which, though at the time not set in stone, included an optimistic outlook for a new record. However, soon after, drummer and founding member Gavin McDonald left the band, forcing them to regroup, recruit the help of (now permanent new member) Nick Aranda, and seek isolation in a cabin in the woods, where they crafted the songs that would make up their forthcoming effort, currently untitled though set to arrive this year through new label home Kemosabe Records.
Finding new inspiration, Paper Route channeled the raw energy you’ll know all too well if you’ve seen them perform live, allowing guitars to take a more prominent role in their arrangements, and rediscovering the wonder that inspired them to make music in the first place. Though a first taste of their new material actually arrived a year ago, when we premiered track “ZHIVAGO,” the first official single from their upcoming LP, “Laugh About It,” debuted earlier this year. Driving, refined, earnest, and hypnotic, the single manages to work within the Paper Route template while simultaneously expanding their sonic ambitions and broadening their accessibility; a substantive, dynamic, and worthwhile introduction to the band’s next chapter, which feels well worth the wait. Today, we’re incredibly excited to premiere the Paper Route’s official music video for “Laugh About It,” which, like the song itself, is presented light and fun on the surface, but has layers of weird, and dark, and eclectic. Watch below!
