The Paperhead - Africa Avenue

Much has changed for the members of The Paperhead since the release of their Trouble In Mind debut back in 2011 - tours both domestically & abroad, more releases, college, life, work, love, and tragedy. The span of time & growth (both personally & musically) are reflected in the ten tunes on the band’s third album “Africa Avenue”

Recorded by the band themselves in bassist Peter Stringer-Hye’s Nashville garage & mixed by Cooper Crain (Cave, Bitchin’ Bajas), “Africa Avenue” finds its groove in it’s unabashed melodicism & pop hooks. The title of the album is an homage to a street the band hung out on as children, and the experiences & memories created there drift in & out of lyrics that are appealingly abstract, but hint at an unspoken narrative.

The jaunty opener “Africa” sets the scene with guitarist Ryan Jennings’ acoustic strum & sly synth squiggles, before unloading a crunchy guitar hook unlike anything the band has done previously, letting listeners know that something new is happening here; a step towards a full & comfortable immersion in the sounds they love. The band makes no bones of its affection for Sixties & Seventies psychedelia, but “Africa Avenue” quietly tiptoes around easy comparisons, mutating itself into something more textured & intricate, leaning more towards avant-pop. The rest of the album has its fair share of stunners like the cosmic country of “Mother May”, the folk-raga of “In A Corner, or the harpsichord-sprinkled majesty of “Old Fashioned Kind” all fight for ear space in an album full of highlights.

The true key to the album’s success lies in the band’s synergy that comes from playing together since they were teenagers; the “hive-mind” that enables each to anticipate & play off each other, achieving an effortless grace in their arrangements & performance. “Africa Avenue” feels more organic, sounding like the work of a cracking live band in action rather than a heady, studio construction. A breath of fresh air & without a doubt, the band’s most accomplished effort to date.

RIYL: White Fence, Tame Impala, Amen Dunes, Quilt, Kinks, Soft Machine