Monday 3/1: stillhungry—"Paper Lanterns"
Today, we share our thoughts on a recent song from the New Jersey indie-pop band stillhungry.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now we’re, also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc. Three days of the week are free but you can get access to all five weekly posts by subscribing for $5/month via Substack or $2/month via our Patreon.
Today, we share our thoughts on a recent song from the New Jersey indie-pop band stillhungry.
stillhungry—"Paper Lanterns"
Eric Bennett:
One half of a double single, “Paper Lanterns” is the more straightforward upbeat rock song. I’m nearly always on board when I first hear a band and find that they have multiple vocalists; even if the songs aren’t co-written, it’s always welcome to hear the band be led by more than one person. The vocal tones of Jenna Murphy and Matteo DeBenedetti complement each other nicely, and feel at home among the warm, light guitar riffs. The instrumentation and production remind me of Anna McClellan’s last record, I saw first light. Propulsive yet unhurried.
Eli Enis:
This is the type of indie-pop that could tip into emo if it were just a little more raw. The melodies and vocal deliveries remind me of Oso Oso and I’m Glad It’s You, but all of the instrumentation has a much more peppy, airy feel to it. It’s well-mixed, all the guitar tones are there (that fuzz tone is deliciously sputtery), but I’m just not that sold on the vocal deliveries. There are portions of the instrumentals that have a lot of movement in them that begs for a stronger, more impassioned singing style that I just don’t think comes through here. It’s not bad. It’s fine. It’s pleasant. But it’s completely unmemorable ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.