It feels a hot minute since Melbourne pop-punk wunderkinds Paperweight released their EP, ‘Green Lotus Blooms’, yet here we are with the band releasing a brand spanking new single in the sharper, grittier, biting ‘Lemon Spiders’.

Perfectly setting the scene for a holistic glow, PAPERWEIGHT-style, Lemon Spiders will also be christened for the first time live onstage when the group join State Champs and The Maine’s co-headline Australian tour, supporting alongside Hot Milk in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth this September.

‘Lemon Spiders’ is another step in the rapid evolution of these Melbourne pop-punkers, tonally chunkier, with some production tricks adopted from heavier brethren, while still maintaining that pop-punk brattiness. Somehow even slicker than their previous releases on the ‘Green Lotus Blooms’ EP, ‘Lemon Spiders’ is heavy enough to raise the horns, yet still retains tonnes of fun with disco punk beats and plenty of crunch.

Seamlessly building on their earlier nostalgic pop punk wiles, Lemon Spiders finds PAPERWEIGHT vividly poised and venomously polished, with the song also presenting a chance for the band, formed in the pandemic, to finally showcase material written beyond their formative moments, as PAPERWEIGHT vocalist Haris Dillinger elaborates: “It feels so refreshing to be releasing Lemon Spiders! What many people may not know is that most PAPERWEIGHT songs released thus far were actually written well before the band even launched, we have all grown so much since then artistically and it feels amazing to be able to showcase our diversity and growth as musicians”.

Thematically declaring war on toxic traits on both individual and broader levels, Lemon Spiders saw PAPERWEIGHT team up with the iconic Stevie Knight (Stand Atlantic, With Confidence, Yours Truly, Short Stack, Between You And Me) to bring the infectious bounce, sharp riffage and serpentine vocals to life. Equally an infectious earworm and laden with pure catharsis, Lemon Spiders fluidly embraces alternative pop rock flavours and an affable snarl, while ultimately spotlighting those who tear others down rather than be happy for their success.

“Lemon Spiders is really a metaphor for a wolf in sheep's clothing, which was inspired by a saying I heard when I was younger which was: ‘some people will only wish you well, as long as you’re not doing better than they are’,” Dillinger says of the overarching Lemon Spiders narrative. “It’s something that has stuck with me, as oftentimes when you experience this kind of thing - it comes from people who you once considered friends. The inability to be happy for others and the lengths that some people will go to in order to bring you down is a toxic trait that we have all been a victim of, not only as individuals but even as a band, and that’s something I wanted to tackle in a song”.

Coated with slick aesthetics and neon hues, the music video for Lemon Spiders brought together videographer Ed Reiss for PAPERWEIGHT’s latest endeavour - as well as some glow in the dark mini golf magic, as the band explain: “Ed Reiss jumped on board to shoot the video clip for us which was incredible - he’s worked with some of Australia’s biggest bands. We shot it at Glow Golf in Docklands - we’re so lucky they agreed to stay waaay overtime for us. It was so much fun to shoot with Ed - all of those fast motion shots you see were actually filmed in super slow motion which was so much harder than it sounds!!”.

First emerging back in 2020 amid the global pandemic, PAPERWEIGHT recorded their EP Green Lotus Blooms in 2021 while also ticking off their debut festival appearance at the inaugural Knight & Day Festival that same year. And while 2022 saw the group finally release their debut EP to the world following lockdowns and uncertainty at large in the music industry, PAPERWEIGHT are certainly not holding back on boldly carving out their next chapter, with their relentless work behind the scenes set to be witnessed in full flight this September alongside State Champs and The Maine throughout Australia.

“I think it’s easy to forget that we’ve only been around for 2 years and most of that time was spent in COVID lockdown,” muses Dillinger of the short-yet-sweet PAPERWEIGHT journey so far and beyond. “As a result, our experience as a live band so far has been limited; however, this year has been amazing starting with our performance on NYE at Knight & Day Festival, followed up with a headline show at AM-PM and our recent EP launch shows in Sydney and Melbourne. We finally feel as though we are really starting to come into our own as a live band and we’re so excited to showcase all of our hard work going into this tour with State Champs and The Maine!”.

‘Lemon Spiders’ is out now on all streaming platforms, and you catch Paperweight nationally touring with State Champs and The Maine (with Hot Milk). Those tickets are on sale, with the first show hitting The Tivoli in Brisbane on September 1.

Destroy All Lines Presents

STATE CHAMPS & THE MAINE AUSTRALIAN TOUR WITH VERY SPECIAL GUESTS
HOT MILK PAPERWEIGHT

THURSDAY 1 SEPTEMBER – THE TIVOLI, BRISBANE (18+)
FRIDAY 2 SEPTEMBER – FORUM, MELBOURNE (18+)
SUNDAY 4 SEPTEMBER – ROUNDHOUSE, SYDNEY (LIC AA)
TUESDAY 6 SEPTEMBER – THE GOV, ADELAIDE (LIC AA)
THURSDAY 8 SEPTEMBER – MAGNET HOUSE, PERTH (18+)

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW AT: www.destroyalllines.com

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