Paper Tigers // Graceless // EP Review

Paper Tigers are an Alt-Rock band based in Belfast and since their formation in Belfast in 2018 they have caused quite a stir.

The four-piece is comprised of Michael Smyth with Hayley Norton on vocals, Emma Rose on bass and Matt Milner on drums. 2019 saw the release of their debut single ‘Gucci Smiles’ which saw them being nominated for Best Single at the NI Music Prize.

The band then released a number of singles which saw their popularity rise further and their music being played on radio stations as well as the singles being streamed over 40,000 times on Spotify and 10,000 YouTube views.

Having received funding from the Arts Council NI fund for the recording of the EP, the first single ‘Blue Light Trails’ was released in October 2021 which was then followed by a UK tour across England and Scotland before ‘Graceless’ was released in November. The final single before the release of the EP saw ‘Moloko’ be unveiled in February 2022 and now is the time for the 5 track EP.

Being comprised of the previously released 3 singles along with two other tracks, the EP spans around 20 minutes.

Opening with ‘Omission’ you will be immediately struck by the high-octane huge sound and be hooked. The riffs will get your toes tapping and head nodding along. The vocals provide a perfect blueprint for you to try and match as you sing along, but the vocals are rather special. To be fair, so are the guitars. The air guitar rack will be emptied straight away and you will be playing so hard, the strings will be fully tested.

This feel-good feeling continues as the EP motors onward with anthemic sounding songs that make you just want to be stood in a field dancing around in the sun as the band play full force. The energy that gets transmitted through the speakers from the EP is ridiculous so I can only imagine how it would feel seeing the band live. In fact, it is now on my ‘to-do list.’

As the 20 minutes progress, you can be forgiven for remembering that this is a debut EP, as there is such maturity to their sound. Paper Tigers know what they want to do and blimey they do it well.

I have no doubt that this EP will help the band to begin to reach wider afield and hopefully in future we will hear far more by Paper Tigers.

Ed Ford

Graceless will be released Friday 29^th April 2022.