"Papertwin emerges with its own take on that [New Wave] formidable sound."
-fingertipmusic.com
Papertwin came together in 2009 after having met each other as students in various schools in Vermont and New York. Before becoming a four-piece, the band was initially conceived by Max Decker (guitarist, vocalist, songwriter) and was quickly joined by high school friend Francis Cardinale (drummer, programmer). Together they recorded demos but the band wasn't able to take form until third member Nicholas Shopa (synthesizers) came onboard after meeting fellow classmate Francis at an audio engineering school in New York. Having lost their early bass player who moved out of the country in December 2010, Papertwin took a short break from live shows in order to locate a new bassist, as well as write and record a handful of new material. In February 2011 Papertwin welcomed their fourth and final member, Justin Michael Miller (bass, synthesizer), and resumed performing live in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The sound of Papertwin contains elements of New Wave, Brit Pop, Dream Pop and Shoegaze but cannot be pinned as any one of them alone. The heavy usage of synthesizers informs their sonic foundation while Decker's translucent, crystalline vocals etch a distinguishing clarity to their sound. Often known for creating an airy, cloud-like atmosphere, the rhythmic presence of electronic drums bespeckled with bombarding fills points more clearly to the eras of 80's synthpop and 90's industrial. The band currently resides in Brooklyn, New York and books shows regularly in the area.
Alkaline
Papertwin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To show you my love
If you see it from my side of the fence
You might get it, ohh
Cause waiting every day is much work
If it gets old, really quick
And every little earthquake
Everytime you're working late
Black Sea, it changed me
Let's wait for now
We've got love
We've got sex
Let's make some noise
I'm in disguise right now
As your almost friend
Whispered to myself all alone
In the dark
I'm in disguise right now
It's cancer of depressed, unknown
And then we overthink
Every little earthquake
Body's shifting slowly apart
You trashed me
You machine
Let's wait for now
The Black Sea, it changed me
Let's wait for night
We've got blood
We've got sex
Let's make some noise
I'm in disguise right now
As your only friend
I'm in disguise right now
As I'm alone
The lyrics to Papertwin's "Alkaline" are ambiguous on first glance, leaving the listener with more questions than answers. However, at its core is a story of a relationship in crisis, with a narrator who is struggling to keep it together.
The opening lines of the song, "There's nothing like a smack in the head/To show you my love," set an uneasy tone, suggesting that the singer's idea of love might not align with societal norms. This is further reinforced in the line "I'm in disguise right now/As your almost friend," suggesting that the singer is hiding behind a facade to maintain the relationship.
As the song progresses, the singer seems increasingly resigned to the inevitable end of the relationship, stating "Let's wait for now/The Black Sea, it changed me/Let's wait for night." The Black Sea could be interpreted as a metaphor for depression or other mental health issues that have changed the singer and made it difficult to maintain the relationship.
The chorus, which repeats the lines "We've got love/We've got sex/Let's make some noise," is ironic in that it presents a superficial image of the relationship while underlying tensions and cracks continue to grow. The chorus is almost a plea to cling to these moments of passion amid the dissolution of the relationship.
Overall, "Alkaline" is a gripping and thought-provoking song that explores the complexities of relationships and mental health. The lyrics are open to interpretation, making it a song that can be experienced in different ways.
Line by Line Meaning
There's nothing like a smack in the head
Sometimes you need something drastic to make you realize my love for you.
To show you my love
I need to do something dramatic to demonstrate my affection for you.
If you see it from my side of the fence
Maybe if you were in my shoes, then you'd understand how I feel.
You might get it, ohh
Perhaps you would comprehend the situation then.
Cause waiting every day is much work
The challenge of waiting every day for something is tiring.
If it gets old, really quick
Waiting for too long can become unbearable.
And every little earthquake
Every disruption that affects our relationship.
Everytime you're working late
When you're working late, it affects us.
Body's shifting slowly apart
Our connection is slowly dissipating.
Black Sea, it changed me
The Black Sea holds something about me or us that changed everything.
Let's wait for now
Let's hold off for the meantime.
We've got love
We still have love between us.
We've got sex
Our physical attraction is still intact.
Let's make some noise
Let's make something happen. Let's take action.
I'm in disguise right now
I'm hiding behind a facade right now.
As your almost friend
I'm pretending to be someone close to you.
Whispered to myself all alone
I'm confessing these thoughts only to myself.
In the dark
I'm keeping this to myself, hidden from everyone else.
It's cancer of depressed, unknown
The situation is like a tumor of sadness that's mysterious and hard to grasp.
And then we overthink
We dwell on things far too much.
You trashed me
You've talked badly about me or have ruined our relationship.
You machine
You're emotionless, like a machine.
Let's wait for night
Let's hold off until it's dark out.
We've got blood
We have a deep connection that's unbreakable.
Let's make some noise
Let's actually do something about our situation.
As your only friend
I'm presenting myself as your sole confidant.
As I'm alone
In reality, I'm lonely and hurting.
Contributed by Leo G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sunshineface0014
Here's what I think the lyrics are;
There's nothing like a smack in the head
To show you my love
If you see it from my side of the fence
You might get it, ohh .
Cause waiting never did us much good
And faith gets old, really quick
And every little earthquake
Everytime you're working late
Body's shifting slowly apart
(Chorus:)
The Black Sea, it changed me
Let's wait for night
We've got love
We've got sex
Let's make some noise
I'm in disguise right now
As your almost friend
Whisper to myself all alone
In the dark
I'm in disguise right now
As cancer of the breast and bone
And then the old refrain,
Every little earthquake
Body's shifting slowly apart
You trashed me
You machine
Let's wait for night
(Chorus:)
The Black Sea, it changed me
Let's wait for night
We've got blood
We've got sex
Let's make some noise
I'm in disguise right now
As your only friend
I'm in disguise right now
As an animal
@MagicShmop07
Theres nothing like a smack on the head
To show you my love
You see it from my side of the fence
You might get it, oh
Cause waiting every day is much work
If it gets old really quick
And every little earthquake
Everytime you're working late
Bodies shift and slowly go
The black sea
It changed me
Lets wait for night
We've got blood
We've got sex
Let's make some noise
I'm in disguise right now
As your almost friend
Whispered to myself all alone
In the dark
I'm in disquise right now
As ?????
And then you're afriad
Every little earthquake
Bodies shifted slowly apart
You trashed me
You machine
Let's wait for night
The black sea
It changed me
Lets wait for night
We've got blood
We've got Sex
Let's make some noise
I'm in disguise right now
As your only friend
I'm in disquise right now
As I'm alone
@TheJtriver
it's funny and dumb that it can take years to finally hear music you should have been listening to when it was released... like this song! damn i like it!
thank you Stranger Synths for your mix tapes :)
@foxmccloud306
Oh I thought I was the only one who came here from that!
@InakaAdventure
Absolute banger in 2023
@Spudst3r
Recently fell in love with this song. So good.
@Tommixist
This is one of the best synthwave songs I've ever heard!
@otroleonarbe
I cannot believe this AMAZING song has less than 10K views...
Of course people are listening to crap commercial music
@VerdaderoMigo
It has 97k now Lmaooo
@Briar27
This is going into my travel music collection. I wish my local radio stations played music like this instead of the same junk that has nothing to get your heart pumping and soul energized.
@ughitsjo
I just found this song because Spotify recommend it to me... I'm gonna start paying more attention because this is fire 🔥🔥 amazing
@snipe320
Song is so good, you don't have to try to enjoy it; It just engulfs you. Incredible.