Pieces is the latest track from Brooklyn sibling duo Katie and Ben Marshall better known as Paperwhite, and yes, it’s glorious. Taking all sorts of soft-tinged 80’s reference points they transport us once again to a world where shoulder pads, bad mascara and big hair were all part of the giddy explosion of colour and experimentation - and that was just the men.
Pieces will feature on the band’s debut EP Magic released by Duly Noted, one of Breaking More Waves favourite UK based boutique labels, on November 17th. It’s a song about love at first sight, a concept that the slightly more cynical among us would say doesn’t really exist, except perhaps for that moment when as a parent you bring a baby into the world, but we’re not going to put a downer on the band's enthusiasm. For certainly this music is love at first listen, with the songs upbeat synths combining with Katie’s dreamy vocals to make something that rather like not licking your lips whilst eating a sugary doughnut is impossible not to tap your toes to. Try it – we dare you – you won’t succeed (that's with the music not the doughnut - we're not a cakes and pastries blog you know).
Paperwhite - Pieces
Duly Noted records have been gaining a bit of a reputation of late for being the UK’s most on it new boutique label with releases from the likes of IYES, The Night VI and the as yet not featured here Black Honey (although we suspect that time will come soon). Their latest offering comes by way of the Kindle referencing Brooklyn brother sister duo Paperwhite, who have already impressed in 2014 with Magic, Got Me Goin’ and a dance until you drop remix of Swim by Fickle Friends.
Whilst we were away last week Ben and Katie (who are Paperwhite) released Take Me Back and if the song was in any way a reference to time travel (it isn’t sadly) then if we jumped in Dr Who’s Tardis we’d be transported to the mid 80’s, because this tune sounds like the ultimate dreamy synth soundtrack to a teen romance where in all likelihood a cute shy girl and a boy with a bad mullet from very different backgrounds discover that the feelings they have for each other go deeper than just friendship. “I’m never gonna ask for more, but when we fall into place there’s nothing else worth dreaming for,” Katie sings and everything in the world just seems a little bit fuzzier, a little bit more soft-focus and a little bit better. Lovely stuff.
The song is available to buy right now.
Paperwhite - Take Me Back
Back in the olden days the remix was a relatively straightforward thing; an extended mix of a song, designed to take it from 7” format to 12” and onto the dance floors. Now things are much more complicated, with reconstructions that are created for all sorts of reasons, often as a promotional tool to build the name of the remixer whilst increasing the exposure of the original act.
Whatever the reason for the remix there’s one simple ingredient that has to be there and that’s musical goodness. Here Brighton's IYES maintain their track record and bring it to Paperwhite’s Magic (original here) like some sort of nutritious groovy cookie packed with sweetness that dry humps its way all over the shop. It’s certainly not one of those extended dance versions from the 80’s, in fact the remix is shorter than the original, but a re-work that compliments and enhances with hip thrusting freshness. Remix of the week without doubt.
Paperwhite - Magic (IYES Remix)
Brooklyn’s Paperwhite had a minor blog hit (we’re defining blog hit by getting on the Hype Machine chart and a having a large number of blogs writing about them) earlier this year with their debut track Got Me Goin’ and then impressed us further with their cowbell-tastic remix of one of our favourite songs of the last six months - Fickle Friends’ Swim.
Now there’s song 2 and no, we don’t mean a cover version of the Blur classic. Instead Katie and Ben bring us a piece of 80’s referencing soft-focus FM synthpop by the name of Magic. It sounds like all of the worst bits of the 80’s somehow transformed into something rather gorgeous (and doesn’t the chorus just sound a little bit like Haim covering Dollar? No, OK maybe that’s just us). If you like your pop dirty, grubby and a little bit nasty, then Magic isn’t going to do it for you, but if like us you’re not averse to something clean cut, pristine and blissfully pure then this one is for you.
Paperwhite - Magic
