Ears Wide Open: Paper Pilots

Kevin Bronson on
3

Ohio-bred, Berklee-educated songwriter Justin David Bocchieri has been laying low since he released a solo EP in 2009, slowly polishing the distinctly Anglophile chops that trace their origin to bands such as the Kinks and the Jam but currently reside more in building on smart, fanciful pop of the ’90s U.K. indie scene. David’s first songs under the name Paper Pilots balance wry tenderness (a la Belle & Sebastian or Hefner) and romantic sweep (a la James or certain moments in XTC). Paper Pilots did a cover of the Zombies’ “She’s Not There” for the third “True Blood” soundtrack, but their first single “Lacksadaiscal” (that’s on purpose, that title) and the B-side “Catch the Lamplight Low” give you an idea of where they’re are headed. It’s someplace good.

||| Download: “Catch the Lamplight Low”

||| Also: Stream the whole EP on Soundcloud.