PAPERWEIGHT // Bloomin Wonderful Pop Punk

Melbourne’s Paperweight has spent the last two years brightening up the world with their pop-punk gems. And they’ve also made some pretty impressive strides on the touring circuit too, selling out shows and playing Knight and Day festival.

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But now, they’ve celebrated their biggest achievement to date, the release of their debut EP, Green Lotus Blooms. We spoke to vocalist Haris Dillinger and guitarist Luana Tosti-Guerra about it.

Massive congratulations are in order for the release of Green Lotus Blooms! With everything that’s gone on over the last few years, tell us about how it came together.

Haris: We managed to make the most of the gaps between lockdowns. This EP was done in March 2021, when there were no cases, and we were out of lockdown. We went in, smashed it out, and then, sure enough, lockdown happened again, and we couldn’t release the EP as quickly as we’d like. Towards the start of this year, things started to settle down, and we thought it was time to get the show on the road.

It’s strange finally having it out in the world because we’re already onto the next thing. We’ve been holding onto it for so long, so we’ve already started thinking about where we want to go next musically. We’ve already recorded new stuff. It’s weird. We’re releasing this, but we can’t wait to get the new stuff out too. To us, this EP is already old.

Luana: It’s still our baby, though, and we’re so happy to have it out. And we’re so grateful for all the feedback we’ve received.

Was there a concept or theme you had in mind when creating it?

Haris: It was about closing the chapter on the past and moving on.

Luana: Relevant to the COVID times.

Haris: Yeah. We were trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and we wanted to write a record that reflected that and that positivity, especially when people were so unsure of the future.

Luana: Especially those working in the music industry.

Haris: Yeah. So it was recorded at that time, but it was supposed to be a fun thing, not a let’s all be sad kind of record. We wanted the message to be better days are coming and things like that.

We were trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and we wanted to write a record that reflected that and that positivity, especially when people were so unsure of the future.
[ Haris Dillinger ]

How’d you find working with Stevie Knight?

Haris: It was great. It was interesting, I’ve worked with him in the past, but that recording was the first one we’ve done with him as a band. I had recorded a lot of the original Paperweight songs before I met most of the current lineup. So that was our first experience recording together, and to do it with someone like Stevie was perfect.

Luana: He’s a freaking wizard.

Haris: Yes! And it can be intimidating at first because you think about the acts he’s worked with, and you think, if I’m not on that level, am I good enough? But he’s not like that at all. He’s so accommodating and genuinely wants to help you get the best out of your music.

So for all of us, the process was so much fun. There was no drama and not much stress. Stevie just made us feel like we’d get it done, and it’d be awesome. We all had a really great time for those two weeks, just chilling in the studio and making music.

Any standout moments from that recording process?

Haris: The main single, Scapegoat, was actually written in the studio, whereas the other songs were pre-written. That was a standout moment. We knew Stevie did a lot of writing with the bigger bands he’s worked with, so we went in with some things saved so we could work on them.

That song became the main single, and it was done organically, from scratch, with everyone at the studio. I think everyone was really excited about it, and it ended up becoming all of our favourites.

What’s in store for Paperweight this year?

Luana: We have a small tour coming up to celebrate the EP. It’ll kick off on June 4th in Sydney, and it’ll be a lot of fun. But after that ….

Haris: We have some things we can’t talk about yet (laughter).

Luana: I swear that’s the end of every interview ever!

Haris: Rest assured, there’s a lot of new music and shows coming up this year.