Papi Shiitake debuted their second single, “Smile” alongside the details for their upcoming EP, Quarantine Dream, out October 16th on Trash Casual Records. “Smile” is a super hazy, shoegaze anthem about feeling like you’re not good enough and still having to get up and face the day. Reverb-drenched guitars accompany soft and dreamy vocals that traipse over pocketed percussion in the verses, opening into an infectious refrain of “daylight can stay night” that will stay in your head as the leaves start to fall and the summer sun fades. It’s a statement of understanding to all of us dealing with mental health issues clearly exacerbated by being stuck in quarantine for the majority of the year with no end in sight. Still, there is something fun and beautiful to the track that reminds us that we’re all in the same boat and we will get through it together. You can watch the animated lyric video now and stream “Smile” on your favorite platform.
Quote from Young Tuxx:
“When I wrote ‘Smile’, I had just seen my therapist and I was just kind of done.. with everything. I got home and started singing the opening line, “I feel like garbage left in the sun”. ‘Smile’ is about feeling like you’re not good enough and having to face the day anyway. The song is fun and bouncy, but the lyrics are actually quite sad. It’s a visceral feeling that really resonates with people, especially in 2020.”
Quarantine Dream is a diverse collection of songs that find inspiration in the stark honesty of The Velvet Underground and sun-drenched harmonies of The Beach Boys. Greater than the sum of its parts, Papi Shiitake’s Tuxx and Sieloff blended their influences seamlessly to create something that simultaneously feels ‘of the moment’ and cloaked in vintage warmth and nostalgia. Each song on the EP is its own capsule in time and consists only of takes from the day it was written.