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By the closing notes of Next Paperback Hero’s new single “Begin Again,” I felt a little ashamed to still be sitting down rather than marching down the street, head held high, ready to accomplish … well, something.
That’s pretty much what Next Paperback Hero’s Nathan Honoré had in mind as he pieced together the song from voice memos he logged while walking Seven Bridges Trail early in the pandemic. “I was reflecting on how a pause, a timeout, a getaway or any sort of break can be crucial in order to move forward,” he explained. “It’s a beautiful irony that we don’t often have time to see.”
While the lyrics appreciate the value of a breather, the instrumentation puts snare and horns up front for an “on the march” quality (shades of Wilco’s “ You Never Know”). It’s a curious conflict that makes for interesting listening as Honoré holds court in the second verse:
Masking up, moving out to the edge of where footsteps can take me
This coast is my cathedral, and I’m leading the procession this morning
Our opening hymn has no words, just the sound that surrounds me
Sacred ground all around and a space for consoling the lonely
We stop so we can begin again
We stop so we can begin again
Listen to the new single below right now and on Next Paperback Hero’s upcoming EP, Nowhere to Run, available Sept. 13. You can also hear it live at Linneman’s on Oct. 1 for an album-release show that also features Ellie Jackson and Dial-Up Stepmom.
