somewhere in a lonely house in what is most definitely not the heart of the american midwest lies a confused teenager with a knack for writing catchy, creative, and surreal pop songs that defy genres, teenage stereotypes, and any exterior expectations a listener may have of them. this teenager is of course, cuppa muggison, the heart, soul, and brain behind projects like 'Let's Everyone' and 'October Navigation', and the subject of this blurb, 'The Papergirls'. 'O Catastrophe' isn't just a collection of songs, it's a collection of dear relics from the back of a mind which rarely goes understimulated. it's a collection of bygones, or soon-to-be bygones, and listening to it could be compared to flipping through iphoto on a 2012 macbook. as for individual tracks, 'once a pilot' and 'anchorage airport' best showcase cuppa's talent for catchy and ear-infesting choruses. 'blood august' contains tangles of guitar work almost reminiscent of the brave little abacus, which pair wonderfully with the sweet vocal melodies, creating a perfect soundtrack for solace in departure. 'skate away' and 'pastimes' conjure memories of browser games, snowy days, and skeuomorphic bliss with their cheap, pilotredsun-esque synths and drum machines. 'gabe's theme' effortlessly captures a feeling of your last moments with a dear friend, trapping you in a warm bear hug of casio-esque synths and garageband drum machines. 'narcissist' feels like it could almost be a power pop song, but instead forgoes that thought and backs it's anthemic vocals with bell-like synths, and barebones drum and bass programming, making for an airy and minimalistic but powerful instrumental. 'based on your mario kart skills...', originally performed and written by tom 7, is a whimsical and simple ode to one of the greatest multiplayer games of all time, recorded with just an acoustic guitar and vocals, and finally, 'for the seafarers' is an acceptance of the chaos of life and the perfect mellow closing number for the album, with sweet vocal lines punctuating closely mic-ed acoustic guitar and drum programming. 'O Catastrophe' is all of these things, wrapped up in a blanket of bittersweet memories woven together into a makeshift blanket.
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SND006, includes bonus track
credits
released July 7, 2023
Guitar, Fake Bass, Vocals, Keyboard, and Programming all done by Cuppa Muggison with backing vocal help by Voice Arranger Anna on 'Pop Song'
'For The Seafarers' and 'Pop Song' written mostly in 2022
Recorded (mostly) @ The Crossing House in northeast Ohio from May 30th to July 2nd, 2023.
Most sound effects used in this are from random Archive.org uploads, or the game Strife (1996)
Drum machine samples are from samples.kb6.de/machines/akai-alesis-bontempi.htm
Shoutout to Seb for the description
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Thank you to Anna, Sebastien, Charlotte, Zidrus, and so many more. xoxo
Shoutout to my neighbors for such awesome fireworks
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'Perfect' is a LUCYBOY cover, and 'Based On Your Mario Kart Skills...' is a Tom 7 cover.
1. Christmas (P-Bass) 01:11
2. Once A Pilot 02:50
3. Dog Food 02:48
4. Perfect 02:48
5. Blood August 02:39
6. Skate Away (Ice) 02:40
7. Pastimes [ver. ii] 02:09
8. World of Joy 00:54
9. Pop Song 01:35
10. Anchorage Airport 02:47
11. Gabe's Theme 04:08
12. Based On Your Mario Kart Skills, I'm Not Letting You Drive My Car 01:47
13. Narcissist (Selfish) 03:13
14. For The Seafarers 03:01
15. Apology (bonus) 01:40