Modesto, California’s Paper Space is based around the core collaborative trio of lead songwriter Max Basso, multi-instrumentalist/producer Curtis Walls, and bassist Miles Ishmael – long-time friends and family whose musical journey began in 2014 with loose jams in a dirty garage while they were each still attending high school. Influenced by acts such as The Mountain Goats, Mac Demarco, and Pink Floyd. Their second album, Deathlike, showcases their artistic evolution from a scrappy garage rock trio to a fully realized project with a clear vision. Their mature blend of singer-songwriter introspection, power pop exuberance, psychedelic experimentation, and 70s rock sprawl is fully displayed.
Independently produced and recorded by the band members themselves in diverse locations and mixed to analog tape by Jack Shirley (known for his work with Jeff Rosenstock and Tony Molina), Deathlike is a concept album surrounding an ICU patient rebuilding his life and family ties after a near-fatal illness. The album explores poignant themes of resilience, love, and the idea of the near-death experience as a catalyst for growth and change.
The band’s latest single, “Impression,” sees the band navigating emotionally vulnerable crescendoes while delivering indie rock tropes in a stunningly grand fashion. Paper Space created an impassioned ballad centered around Deathlike‘s narrative. If the rest of the album feels as cinematic as its lead single, the band may have just landed on something of a breakthrough. “Impression” has the band creating stadium-sized indie rock with dark undertones evoked by the crashing drums and reflective lyrics. The band separates itself from its alt-rock counterparts by implementing power pop tropes in the vocals. The catchy melodies ease the tension that rises from the songwriting, creating a sonic contradiction that is complex yet enticing. Paper Space’s “Impression” sees the band crafting a powerful pop ballad while toying with conventions to land on a jangly sound that blends the accessibility from pop with dark narratives.
“‘Impression,’ though dark in many ways, is ultimately a song about triumph. We are told our entire lives that lasting impressions are important and to always try to make a good one,” explains Basso. “Well, what happens when your life is turned completely upside down over the course of a few weeks, leaving you both disfigured and disabled? This is, in many ways, a nightmare scenario, yet all too real for some. The song “Impression,” and more broadly the album as a whole, is about fighting through the darkest, most hopeless moments of your life, not only for yourself but for those that love you, despite all that has been lost.”
