Papertank and The Debut ‘Playground’.
Papertank – La Chaux De Fonds, Switzerland.
Switzerland three-piece Papertank recently released their debut album on Division Records and what an album it indeed is. The band consist of a drum-kit, a bass guitar and a voice-box and via this create a groove-laden mix of Punk, Garage Rock and Stoner Rock that is really quite addictive.
With ‘Playground’ standing as both their first numerically strong release as well as their debut full-length, the pressure couldn’t be on the band more in an ever growing and strengthening European Punk music scene.
Despite the the band using no guitars, you are almost led to believe they are. The single bass-axe is filtered through such pedals and amps that said bass out-reaches its basic functions, giving Papertank the unique tones they employ.
After a looming intro, waiting for carries up-tempo stoner rhythms and anthemic melodic Punk verses that again, fool you with thoughts of guitar strings. ‘Little Gun’ has a very slight Post-Hardcore tone and sounds akin to the Hot Water Music of days gone by but with added gloom. By this stage on the release Papertank have proven their worth with their rusty hooks but you wonder if this will be simply it?
The intro to ‘Banshee’ very much sends to mind to crunching stoner anthem but alas despite the track actually boasting as one of the premier cuts of the album, you still don’t find the Stoner Rock you are after, rather another (still) top notch Garage Rock toned Punk anthem.
‘The Flower & The Earth’ is the riff-laden Stoner-Punk you have been waiting for and you may have been waiting too long but with the band taking this line alongside further socio-politcally aligned lyrics, you cant help but forgive them.
Going into this record I had a certain expectations when reading the press release and related media as you often do when you see ‘Stoner’ used as an adjective. I never would have expected material in the vein of what I was presented with and this is especially the case with heartfelt melodic Punk-Rock of ‘God Bless You, Wicked’.
Papertank are an intelligent band with minds plagued with the unavoidable societal worries we are unfortunately faced with and ‘Cold War Circus’ is simply that set to music.
Papertank have showed us their most melodic and their doom-gloom tendencies thus far but with ‘Run Away’ they take a more progressive stylistic via classic Post-Hardcore nodding again to Hot Water Music and further in tribute to the legends known as Rites Of Spring.
‘Virus’ was actually the debut recording of Papertank released a year past in April 2016 and stands as an excellent choice for the penultimate on a Punk record I wish I had on wax. ‘Virus’ is almost nostalgic and despite its age and position on the album, epitomises the Papertank sound.
Without consciously trying, Playground almost sounds like a Skate Punk album if said genre had taken turn down a misty aromatic alleyway. The melodic rhythms contrast the less populace Stoner-isms so well that Playground manages to sound dark, dirty and gritty but still cleanly melodic and polished. ‘The Weather Guy’ finishes and it’s nothing short of fantastic.
Find the band and Division Records below:
- Social Media/Updates: Facebook, Twitter, Official Website.
- Music: bandcamp.
- Division Records: Facebook, bandcamp, BigCartel.
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