In this interview feature, we get to know the most radicalist up and coming stars on the planet.

This time we caught up with left field pop creator Jerry Paper.

Jerry Paper is the creative persona of Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Lucas Nathan who’s use of candy floss flavour electronics (strange drum machines, whacky synth tones and circus-style rhythms) entices you into his world of childlike imagination and sheer joy. His voice is a refreshing and authentic expression of self, further enhanced by his use of witty and often light-hearted lyrics. When performing live, Jerry Paper rids himself of constraining social norms, allowing himself to be truly liberated. Having once said his music is “always changing just as I am always changing as a person, and that change is central to what I create”, the new album Abracadabra is true auditory validation. With releases that are constantly evolving but always authentic, Abracadabra sees Jerry Paper refine his sound, diving head-first into lush, groovy pop.

Landing just 2 weeks ago and we were lucky enough to get a chance to dig a bit deeper into the new album, as well as discussing self-doubt and Paper's lock down habits.

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TMR: Your music perfectly toes the line between weird, wacky and wonderful. Does this come naturally or does a lot of thought go into getting the balance just right?

I’m just being me! In fact, I don’t understand why people always describe me as “weird” but maybe that is just because I don’t fit into an easy category. Either way, fine by me!

TMR: Can you shed some light on the recording process and location of Abracadabra (and those lush synth sounds).

Abracadabra was recorded at Stones Throw Studios. It was a pleasure to work there! My last two studio records were mostly recorded in Toronto, and I live in LA, so there were really intense timelines we had to hit in order for me to fit it into my trip. The ST studio is right by my house so it was much more chill time wise, I was able to take my time a bit more, not stress, not push my body to the limit. It was intense in many ways, as making a record always is, but in many ways it was a more relaxed experience than the last couple.

TMR: Are the characters (such as the captive alien surveilled by a mysterious presence in ‘Puppeteer’ and the buff man who gets caught smoking meth at his child’s birthday party in ‘Body Builder On the Shore’) fictional characters from the depths of your imagination/ a result of a psychedelic trip or are they based on real life people?

They’re stories! I was reading a lot of Joy Williams and Kafka, and a lot of my writing process for this record was to imagine full stories and then to just try to capture a character or a scene, so while the story might be more fleshed out in my mind I am able to leave room for the listener to imagine their own stories.

TMR: ‘Puppeteer’ resonates strong during these lock down times. Before we knew the song was about an alien, we assumed it was about being unproductive. Your witty lyricism: ‘I pick up the jigsaw I’ve been working on’, ’Tick tock goes the time you fool’ reminds us of Devendra Banhart. You’re both musicians who manage to inject humour into your songs without them becoming ‘a joke’. How do you do it?

I find humor in the world so I reflect humor in my art! Nothing more complicated than that.

TMR: What are your 3 favourite songs at the moment?

Thousand Finger Man - Candido



Hard Times - Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band



Couldn’t Love You More - John Martyn



TMR: On Abracadabra, you explore sounds rooted in jazz and funk grooves perhaps more so than on any previous album. How do you allow your sound to progress whilst remaining true to your own identity?

I don’t understand how artists can just do the same thing over and over again for their entire career. It’s fun to explore, it’s natural, it’s what people do. I love so many different kinds of music so it just feels natural to me to play around with different ways of making records. The past few years have been my first time having the opportunity to work in studios and make “band music” so I have really been enjoying exploring that world. I am just being me and making music that resonates with me on a deep level and sounds good to my ears!

TMR: In previous interviews, you’ve talked about Jerry Paper as someone who allows you to be more free, more open, and more able to share. Seemingly, a more authentic version of yourself. As you are answering this interview are you Jerry Paper or Lucas Nathan?

I am Lucas! The biggest revelation of lockdown for me, and having to cancel my tours this year, is that I cannot handle the loss of inhabiting Jerry on stage. I am starting to realize how I have to break down the wall between me and Jerry to be more free in my life, so I’ve been working on that.

TMR: You play with a band but you’re kinda considered a solo artist. Do you struggle with self-doubt and if so how do you overcome it?

It is unclear to me what these two ideas have to do with each other! But I’ll answer the question part: All of my self-doubt comes from thinking of music in a capitalistic way. I think capitalism has been TERRIBLE for art (among other things), and really fucked with how artists approach music. Whenever I think about my music in the context of “the music business” I find myself comparing myself to others, worrying about if my music will reach people, worrying about playing the game right. It just fills me with terrible anxiety. I find this capitalistic self-doubt very paralyzing, and I’ve never been able to write or record a song in its throws. When I reframe my way of thinking away from “how the hell do I sustain a music career in the age of Spotify?” and just live music as a form of self-expression, as a weird and beautiful thing that humans do, as an ethereal experience that people can use to process their lives and dance and feel, that’s when I shed the self-doubt and just write songs and play music. I just love music so so so much.

TMR: How have you spent your days during lockdown? Do you have a daily routine or are you somewhat sporadic?

Chaos



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Abracadabra is out now via Stones Throw.

-Holly Mullineaux