It’s been four years since sunny Milwaukee indie-pop band Paper Holland released the equally sunny Galápagos. Why the long new-music drought?
“Our goal has never been to be an attention machine, churning out song after song of what we think people might like, and perhaps that’s been to our detriment,” says singer/guitarist Andy Kosanke. “Our writing process has never been something that we repeat over and over. Each song ends up taking its own unique journey from start to finish and that generally leads to a longer writing period than others may go through. We take the time to make sure we’re happy with every part of our songs before they are shared with others.”
Well, the drought is over, because Paper Holland has just released a new single and video, “What To Wear.” It’s from the group’s upcoming third album, Devolver, and it’s a delight. The song is a cheeky ode to climate change, and the Joe Ludwig-directed clip is a throwback to those slightly undercranked British Invasion proto-videos from the ’60s—and/or the film bits from old episodes of The Kids In The Hall.
“Generally we like to keep our videos pretty playful and that’s something that Joe Ludwig does very well,” Kosanke says. “He’s just super fun to work with, down to try anything, and super attentive to detail.”
“What To Wear” finds Paper Holland in the midst of some changes. The song features just Kosanke and fellow singer/guitarist Joe Tomcheck, both of whom play all the instruments. The mixing of the song, meanwhile, is the handiwork of Wisconsin native Beau Sorenson, who has worked with bands such as Death Cab For Cutie, Superchunk, and Iron And Wine.
“We knew that we wanted to work with Beau for a few years, but the projects and their timelines had never quite lined up in the past,” Kosanke says. “We wanted to give ‘What To Wear’ an extra polish, and we knew that Beau would be the one to do that.”
No release date has been announced for Devolver, though let’s just say it’s October 28, the same day that Beatles Revolver remix comes out.
Exclusive articles, podcasts, and more. Support Milwaukee Record on Patreon.
RELATED ARTICLES
• Every day can be International Clash Day with Paper Holland’s “Lost In The Supermarket” cover
• Paper Holland stays active in isolation with its “Back To The Sea” music video
• Hit the beach with Paper Holland’s “Sea [Sic]” music video
• Slow and steady wins the race on Paper Holland’s ‘Galápagos’
• You’ll want to go to watch Paper Holland’s “Liz Lemon” video