EP Review: Paper Citizen - Wandering Ghost

I often hear people talking about music that is 'fast' or 'heavy' as though those are descriptions of how good the music is. The fact of the matter is slower, softer music can be more demanding of our faculties, and we don't always have the ability or patience to give everything to what we are listening to. If we could, we might find things that give us new perspectives.

"Scratching The Surface" starts things off with a slow building riff that is part blues, part indie rock. There are hints of The Strokes and Sleater-Kinney in the guitar tones and angular riffs. Claire Gohst's voice embodies the lo-fi rock world she has created, harnessing the authenticity of a sound stripped of the gloss that often covers up the flaws. These songs are telling her story, and that can't be done as effectively if pieces are kept hidden.

With "Lifeline", we are treated to strains of dream-pop in the chorus, where Claire gives the callout to the titular character an ethereal musical bed. Given the importance she places on this person, it's a sly little trick to give an implication of being Heaven sent, or angelic, or whichever other term you want to use. You may not even notice that on first blush, but it speaks volumes.

On "Wandering Gohst", Claire tells us about how certain things follow you around, no matter how far and wide you may travel. There are inescapable realities, and they are either blessings or hauntings, depending on how you want to view them. As the song builds to its climax, it feels like a realization coming to life. Paper Citizen's music is laconic and introspective, but that allows the few moments where Claire hits the strings harder, or pumps a bit more volume into her voice, to hit harder. Tonally, their music is not far removed from Pale Waves' "My Mind Makes Noises" album, but with the more somber tone and more demure production, there is a shyness to Claire's story that is endearing.

There aren't too many writers I can think of right now who would come up with a line like, "Will you give me a tincture of sunshine?" It's a poetic statement after my own heart, and it illustrates the best parts of Paper Citizen. "Indigo September" is a beautiful song, with some lovely forms of language. It gives us more to think about than just the sound entering our ears, and to me it's the key track to this collection.

Often, I say I wish EPs were full albums, because I usually want more of something good. In this case, I think an EP is the right way to digest Paper Citizen's music. Doubling the number of these songs might lessen their impact, if listeners aren't paying close attention. With just five songs, it's easy to give each track the chance to speak to us. When you do that, you can hear an artist who is writing the story of her life one song at a time.