REVIEW: PAPERWHITE RELEASES HYPNOTIZING NEW SINGLE ‘BY YOUR SIDE’
It’s hard to not become immediately captivated by Paperwhite’s newest single ‘By Your Side.’ Between the luscious, harmonic vocals and the pulsating, addictive synth-track, the song hypnotizes listeners with an electronic twist to the pop genre we’ve come to know and love.
Founded in 2014, Paperwhite is the project of Brooklyn siblings Katie and Ben Marshall. The duo got their band name after Katie, who worked at a flower shop, became fascinated with the paperwhite flower. They are set to release their first EP in nearly 10 years this spring.
Paperwhite took a brief hiatus in 2020, but they returned to the indie synth-pop scene in late 2024 with their single ‘Unfold,’ which met high praise. Ben’s distinctive production on the track is pure Paperwhite — a swelling, synth-pop sound the band has maintained for years, but is still developed and ever changing to never sound quite the same as previous work. The band has found a niche in this genre where they shine and continue to grow and improve as they create new music.
Paperwhite for ‘By Your Side’ Photo by Dillion Puswald
‘By Your Side’ opens with pulsating production that swiftly carries into Katie’s crisp, ethereal vocals, transporting us into their synth-crazed world. The electronic instrumental perfectly couples with the vocals — both unique in their own way — creating a dreamy, addictive synergy of a song.
“You got me hypnotized / You got me feeling right / You got me by your side,” Katie sings, letting someone know that they still have her wrapped around their finger no matter what they do.
How Katie sings the pre-chorus is as hypnotizing as the person she is singing about. The way her vocals hang on the beginning of each line will leave listeners replaying it over and over again, and will also allow them to directly feel the emotion and intense passion of the words she’s singing.
This emotion flows over into the bridge where we hear Katie’s most impressive vocals of the entire track. Singing in a yearning whine, Katie tells this person that even in the darkness, they are still right by her side.
Paperwhite is another example of musical siblings that know how to work together to create the perfect track. ‘By Your Side’ shows that Paperwhite is back and better than ever for their next chapter of life and new music.
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