Paper Lady - "Five of Swords"

In Tarot, the Five of Swords represents conflict. It primarily signifies the negative outcomes resulting from conflict, including feelings of sadness,  loss, and despair. Though Boston shoegaze outfit Paper Lady may have been reflecting on their own personal circumstances when penning the lyrics for their song “Five of Swords,” their poise as a band is anything but conflicted. Their sound and songwriting are self-assured and confident.

There are a ton of bands out there regaling in shoegaze and dream pop nostalgia, but for a young group, Paper Lady are already perfectly nailing the aesthetic at a very high level. Frontperson Alli Raina steers the song with her vocals, but (and this is key), she doesn’t overpower the music. They’re a distinctive element, yet blend well with the vast sounding landscape of instrumentation they meticulously craft.

Paper Lady does a good job of creating feelings of unease and uncertainty through their music. They’re a shoegaze band after all, so to really nail the sound, the song needs to sound big enough to evoke an emotional response. Their mixture of keys, twin guitars, and bass has an almost suction-like effect; one where you feel like you're sucked into a vivid sonic world of their own making. So, they’ve without a doubt achieved that aforementioned “bigness” on this memorable number.

Stream the track below!

“Five of Swords” appears on Paper Lady’s new EP, Traveling Exploding Star. The EP is available to stream on all platforms. You can also purchase Paper Lady’s music via Bandcamp. Keep up with the band by following them on Instagram.