Kevin Bronson on April 19th, 2020

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L.A.-based pop artist Paper Idol took the shelter-in-place directive a different way — he found a new place. He’s decamped to Central California to quarantine, and in today’s edition of the Buzz Bands LA interview/artist playlist series QUARANTUNES,  he talks about having no money for flowers, perfecting the chicken scramble and Facetiming with his mom.

THE LATEST FROM PAPER IDOL

“I’m Fantastic,” declared Paper Idol (aka Matan Koplin-Green) in his first single of 2020. That was back in February, and little did he know. The Wisconsin native followed that with some rubbery remixes of his 2019 single “Feel Real Pretty” before early this month unveiling the title track of his forthcoming EP, “Money for Flowers.” Like his earlier releases, it’s a dose of bright, infectious insouciance with a sense of humor. “I wrote ‘Money For Flowers’ at a particularly broke time in my life,” the songwriter says. “I had just visited a girlfriend’s parents and promised that I would send them flowers as a thank-you; I remember thinking, ‘I don’t even have money for flowers.’ As a whole, the song is basically about impulsivity and fickleness in relationships. I did end up buying the flowers, by the way.” (Oh, and there are also these little blasts he’s sent out from quarantine.)

HOW ARE YOU HOLDING UP AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MANAGE THE ‘STAY AT HOME’ EDICT?

I’ve actually relocated myself and my music studio to a little cottage in Nipomo for the next month. I figure I’m less likely to get coronavirus, but far more likely to get cabin fever, so I’ll let you know in May if the trade-off was worth it. Other than that, I’ve been holding up: perfecting the art of the chicken scramble, watching a lot of YouTube tutorials on various unrelated topics and hosting a weekly Instagram-live cover series called “paper covers rock.”

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO WHEN THIS IS OVER?

Fewer Facetime calls from my mother. Just kidding, love you mom.

ANYTHING WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS PLAYLIST?

My new single “Money For Flowers” leans a bit more rock than the dance-y stuff I’ve released, so this playlist pays homage to some of my favorite rock / indie electronica artists that have inspired me. Enjoy!