Album Review: Paper Arms - 'Days Above Ground'

The long awaited debut album from Paper Arms has finally arrived and it could be be their most ambitious material to date.Produced earlier this year by lengendary guitarist from Rival Schools/Gorilla Biscuits Walter Schreifels, "Days Above Ground" captures the band at its peak of powers showing that they are becoming one of Australia's most exciting punk rock bands in the scene today.

"Days Above Ground" finds a perfect balance between melody, energy and conviciton" as triple j have said and they have hit the nail on the head. The record starts off with the opener "An Outbreak" a simple yet catchy punk song, overall it's a fit opener and sets the tone perfectly. Next up is the hard hitting ballad type track "Above Ground" where drummer Tom Crosby shines throughout, it's one of the quieter tracks on the album but still shows the bands versatility.

The next track "Bricks And Mortar" is one of my personal favourites off this record, a future single and one of the songs which i can see becoming a fan favourite. Vocalist/Guitarist Josh Mann paces this song with one of the catchiest choruses singing "Bricks and mortar concrete streets,and friends with hearts of gold".

The album only starts to get better from here, with "Breathing Solutions" a short yet appealing song, driven by guitarists Josh Mann and Max Hunt who add dynamics to make the song complete.

Throughout the album their are many more crowd pleasers such as sixth track "Medicine" which showcases their "Gainsville - Style" punk rock roots and easily has some of the best vocal work on it.

While the musicianship is strong, the guitar work in "Lash Out" or the thumping bass in "Well Built Ships" is simply some of the elements which makes this album complete.

Closing the album is "Resolutions" which starts off with a memorable bass line provided by Mike Smith. Most of the song is fairly repetitive, and in my opinion could have closed out the album in a better way, but their are still points where the song highlights including Max Hunts lead guitar work towards the end of the track.

If you grew up listening to bands such as Small Brown Bike, Jawbreaker and Rival Schools then this album will take your stereo hostage. While their 2008 demo turned a few heads, their were still a few things that were missing and nothing at all is left out on this release. Days Above Ground is a slab of energetic, anthemic, chorus driven punk rock, Enough to keep you satisfied for days on end. 2010 will be a big year for Paper Arms.

01. An Outbreak

02. Above Ground

03. Bricks And Mortar

04. Breathing Solutions

05. Chances

06. Medicine

07. Well Built Ships

08. Lash Out

09. Stolen Times

10. Resolutions