Paper Route have toured relentlessly with the likes of Passion Pit and mewithoutyou, won hearts and minds with their debut album Absence (2009) and paid musical tribute to Lou Reed’s imperturbable face at South by Southwest. They have even insinuated themselves into pop culture consciousness when their song, “The Music,” appeared in the film (500) Days of Summer. The band (Chad Howat on keyboards, piano and programming, J.T. Daly on vocals, keyboards and percussion and Gavin McDonald on drums) have now seen fit to go for broke on the possibility that epic earnestness, lyrical depth, and poetic heft can all coincide within one ridiculously catchy song collection primarily preoccupied with—wait for it—tragedy, disappointment, and loss.
Behold The Peace of Wild Things. The album is packed with sonic gems from start to finish. Paper Route show’s their song writing prowess with the drum beat driven, stadium ready first single “You and I”, the echoing, endlessly powerful instrumentation of opening track “Love Letters”, and the open-air, high-flying feel of “Better Life”. With songs like “Letting You Let Go” and “Glass Heart Hymn,” the band is determined to show their hand at every turn. Irony and cool detachment be damned. This album has not only been long awaited by fans, but anxiously by the band as well.
