There were ten years between their last joint project and the first voice memos that led to Companion Songs in 2020. The duo's long-standing friendship dates back to teenage days, their first band and home recordings in the basement. Even though their musical paths diverged for a while, their friendship remained.
When the world shut down in 2020 and isolation forced itself into everyone’s life, Marco recorded the first sketches. They were logbook entries: first thought, best thought. He kept sharing them with Max without any plans in mind until he replied, "We gotta to do something with this!“
The long years of hiatus had not taken anything away from their common musical language. "Paper Parachute" takes off seamlessly from their first EP. It sounds warm and raw. Across 10 tracks, they span a range from driving instrumentals and quirky folk songs to moments of deep rest.
The duo shares significant overlaps in sound and songwriting with artists like Richard Dawson, Deerhoof, Star Rover, and Dirty Projectors.
The energetic "Spare Key" hits hard, edgy guitars hint at math-rock influences. The echoing shout-vocals openly call out an ode to love, reminiscent of Animal Collective. In "Carousel" and "Count Me In," drums circle endlessly around driving guitar patterns. Vocals float in a distance over the Krautrock carpet and it all rotates somewhere between Can and Tortoise.
The acoustic guitar-driven "Tides" is probably the most direct song on the album, rolling gently along the edges of Big Thief and Nick Drake. Again and again, space for experimentation opens up, like in "Golden Age" and "Other Eyes.“ Drums rumble freely around agitated guitars, reminiscent of The Shaggs. At the other end, we find instrumentals like "Where Were We," carrying only the bare essentials, breathing at half tempo.
Honest music infused with energetic outbursts, with simple melodies and repetition at their heart.
Throughout all the smart twists and turns on "Paper Parachute," there is a heartfelt search for grounding. The lyrics provide streams of thoughts about letting go and breaking free from life loops. Finding spaces in between to build our everyday parachutes.
credits
released June 9, 2023
All music written by Marco Mlynek
Drums, percussion and backing vocals by Max Andrzejewski
Guitar, bass, synth and lead vocals by Marco Mlynek
Mixed and mastered by Daniel Freitag
Cover Artwork by Markus Färber
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