The new Essex punk band Paper Fight sound fist-pumpingly catchy on their now available debut single “Normality.” (They’ve since released another single, called “Far Away.”) On “Normality,” the band combine nearly boundless punk rock energy with very forward blasts of melody in line with skate punk heroes like The Offspring, who the group cites as influences.
Poignantly, Paper Fight have captured a truly enrapturing melodic core amidst their onslaught of heavy punk rock. Rather than relying on something like aggression or chaos, the band dive more into leaping bounds of melody — which, it’s worth noting, makes their music sound ready both for repeated listens at home (or wherever else) and awesome live concert experiences. The tune sounds ready-made for an energetic group of fans singing along in an invitingly compact bar.
On top of the band’s funnel of energetic punk into catchy bounds of energy, Paper Fight also employ markedly grungy guitar tones that give an extra level of personability to the music. “Normality” ends up with a rich texture thanks in part to these tones, which the band aptly wield in their apparent attempt to really paint an immersive picture of the free-flowing musical leap towards tumult that they’re after.
In press materials, the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist Dominic Benjamin has explained: “Normality is written about a friend of mine that was always getting in trouble with his partner because he never got his priorities straight. Growing up I was always a massive fan of bands like The Offspring. When writing this song, I wanted to throw in that influence.”
The band have also cited The Gaslight Anthem and The Menzingers. Their sound truly feels fresh and enrapturing, and they’d be a great band to keep an eye on — it’s somewhat surprising that they apparently only formed in early 2020, months before the official release of “Normality.”
5/5 Stars
Check out the music below! Stay in touch with the band on Facebook right here.
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