San Diego, CA rock band Paper Forest has announced their newest album, Trick Photographer, out Sept 22nd on It’s Okay, I’m Crying. Along with the album announcement, the band has dropped their latest single “House In Your Head”.

We had a chance to talk to multi-hyphenate Sean Burdeaux about the project as part of our Refrain Music Series.

Refrain Music Blog: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. You have a new album coming out soon. When is it out and What’s it called? 

Sean: The new album is called Trick Photographer. It’s out Sept 22nd on It’s Okay, I’m Crying.

RMB: How many songs on the album?

Sean: There are 12 songs on the album.

RMB: You’ve released a few albums before this one. Is there anything that makes this one a little different than the rest?

Sean: This is my sixth longer-form collection of songs. This is probably the most focused Paper Forest record to date. All the previous ones were groups of tracks that I had recorded and then slapped together into an album. Trick Photographer started as a 5 song EP and grew organically into a full album over the course of recording.

RMB: What’s the story on how it was recorded?

Sean: The first few songs were tracked and engineered by Brian Scafidi. We had planned to make an EP in 2020, but Brian’s mixes were so good that it inspired me to write more, so it ended up taking about two years before I finally felt like it was properly complete as a group of songs. Brian also played drums on all the songs that have drums and bass on “Standard Folk Song”. Joel Kynan played harmonium and trumpet across the record. Trevor Mast played lap steel and synthesizers. I played guitars, some bass, some harmonium, banjo, and keyboards. Trevor also whistled.

RMB: Do you have a favorite song on the album?

Sean: I don’t know if I have a favorite. “Idioms” is really catchy. It has a guitar/banjo solo that’s pretty wild. “April Fools Day” is like an audio poem based on a strange dream I had and I think it sounds really pretty. “Lemontree” is really cool to me, I love the guitars and drumming. Trevor’s lap steel really ties that song together. “Xolo” is a really nice instrumental that has my dog Pancho singing in the background. He died of cancer when he was 2 years old so it’s special to me to hear him on that recording.

RMB: Are there any overarching themes? 

Sean: Musically, it’s kind of brooding and folksy. It’s mainly guitar-based but there is a lot of harmonium and banjo and synthesizers and trumpet and lap steel. It’s like a nice patchwork of wood and strings mixed with computer-based processing.

Lyrically, I’m navigating a lot of anxiety. A lot of Emotions/Mindsets As Places kinds of metaphors. The intersection of context and perspective. Things changing. The push and pull between dreamscape and wakescape. Death and loss. Hope.

RMB: Who are some of your biggest musical influences? 

Sean: Modest Mouse, Neutral Milk Hotel, Bright Eyes, Broken Social Scene.

RMB: If you had to pitch the project to a potential fan in less than 10 seconds, what would you say?

Sean: Folksy lo-fi indie rock with a penchant for experimental production and spacey interludes.

RMB: What’s one piece of advice you’ve gotten that you think everyone needs to hear or that has meant the most to you?

Sean: Don’t stand in your own way. Don’t stop playing music. Just create as much as you can/as much as you want to.

RMB: If you could go back in time, what’s a piece of advice you would give to a younger you?

Sean: Record everything. Save your money. Don’t give up.

Connect With Paper Forest:

INSTAGRAM / SPOTIFY / BANDCAMP / Paper Forest Website / It’s Okay I’m Crying Website