Surprise! Paper Jackets has recently released their latest album Souvenirs, Vol. 2. This LA-based alt-pop band – consisting of James Mason (vocals), Aimee Proal (vocals), Emily Dickinson (keyboard, live backing vocals), and Jonny Vesely (guitar) – is full of indie, retro, and pop influences. As mentioned by the band, this album touches on the “Laurel Canyon sound of the late 1960s” – think Crosby Stills Nashand Young, The Mama’s and The Papa’s, and the Beach Boys.

Like many of us have been looking for the past year, this album was created “as a form of escapism”. The band goes on to say that they “romanticized the past, and dreamed of creating music as these bands did-imagining our own fictional experience of events like Woodstock. Also, music wasn’t so quickly consumed as it is today, so we wanted to really live in these songs and let them breathe to give them a feeling of classic quality, even if it’s only for a New Music Friday.”

“1969” is the first track on Souvenirs, Vol. 2 and provides the perfect introduction to the album. The smooth vocals and mellow tune is enough to quite literally transport you back to the summer of love they reference with a beautiful sense of nostalgia. Mentions of festivals, X’s on hands at concerts, and a love as hot as the summer heat fuels the emotions this song gives off. Switching to a completely different sound and message, “Complicated” shows a different side to that perfect and beautiful summer romance when things start to get…well, complicated. It highlights that moment when realization hits and your summer fling wasn’t as dreamy as you had thought – feelings start to fade and once time runs out, that romance is dead. This song is pretty upbeat for it’s quite dark lyrics, but provides a great contrast to the initial track of the album.

“Okay :)” is probably my favorite song overall. The title alone is so relatable, and the use of the ‘:)’ is perfect. The lyrics describe that feeling of just being okay. We’ve all experienced a time in our lives where our thoughts are battling against us, the nighttime tears seem to come without warning, and even though the world is crumbling around us – we just have to be okay whether we like it or not. It’s an odd battle and can be very numbing, but like a lot of the songs of this album, you can tell under the alt-pop tune that it comes from a vulnerable place. “I really wish my tears would taste / Like sour candy lemonade / If only I could drift away / Want all my pain to be champagne” are a few lines that emphasize what this song is really about. Finding the good and the bad in everything we say, do, and feel.

I also really enjoy “Canyon”. The emotion that absolutely pours out of this song is just as deep as a canyon. Sometimes we find ourselves on top of the canyon, looking down and feeling in control. Others, we are falling. Falling deep into that canyon. I can’t express enough how much vulnerability went into this album and it really shows in the lyrics. It reminds me almost of Twenty One Pilots early music, very dark lyrics coupled with a happy, upbeat tune. I think that’s what makes this album so enjoyable – we can use this music to relate to our own struggles but don’t necessarily have to dwell on them.

Moving towards the second half of the album, we have “Only Heart”. I would say this track is a little more on the pop side of music. It has all the basics you need in a love song. Screaming your feelings at the top of your lungs and giving away your only heart to the person you love most, what more would you want in a partner? However, I think the message is a little mainstream. Paper Jackets have really provided a different twist on the portrayal of romance in this album, but this song doesn’t fully show that.

“Swimming Pools” is another favorite of mine. This is the different sound we want from a Paper Jackets album. The beginning sound is very electronic and morphs into the perfect alt-pop track. I think the concept of this song is also a bit cheesy, but unlike “Only Heart”, it’s much more unique than what we are used to hearing on mainstream radio outlets. I’m unsure if the metaphor for the swimming pool is to dive into the emotions and love of a partner, or something more … sexual. Either way, this song is so catchy it doesn’t even matter. Playing off that very electronic sound, “The Madness” really embodies that. The end of this album is starting to feel like the end of a break up. It plays off that moment when you realize you don’t need to be dependent on anyone else to be happy. Even though little memories of your relationship are still scattered in your life, you’re over it.

This entire album really does hold that nostalgic sound and I think “Like It Like That” is a perfect reference to the concept as a whole. With direct references to Nirvana and Madonna, as the listener, we can hear that perfect blend between the music of the past and present. This song also has some references to that post-break up revival. Mentioning that it’s “all or nothing” and this provides a good transition into the last track of the album, “Wicked World”. “It’s good to be lonely / It’s good to be brave”. Being independent is empowering and it’s all you need.
Overall, Paper Jackets really tell a great story with Souvenirs, Vol. 2. I love when an album has a clear beginning, middle, and end and Paper Jacket provides just that. There is a complete 180 within the emotion and sound of this album. The beginning track is love-sick and pouring with emotion, but the conclusion is strong and freeing. Kudos to Paper Jackets for dropping this album out of nowhere, I think it’s a bold move but seems to be working out very well for them.