Boston and Iceland alternative rock duo Paper Tigers make a bold return on East Coaster, a fierce, uncompromising album that transforms modern anxiety into explosive, hook-filled rock.
After nearly three years away, Paper Tigers have returned with East Coaster, a thunderous new album that finds the Boston and Iceland-based project embracing a louder, rougher, and more adventurous direction. Equal parts alternative rock, post-punk, and industrial-tinged guitar chaos, the record marks the beginning of a new era for a band unafraid to leave the past behind.
Following the release of lead single "Go Out," featuring Olivia Beatrice Martinez of Don't Tell Iris, East Coaster arrives as the duo's most focused and sonically ambitious work to date. The album trades polished edges for raw urgency, layering distorted guitars, unconventional rhythms, and towering melodies into songs that feel as restless as the world that inspired them.
Now operating as a studio-focused collaboration between vocalist Michael Medlock and guitarist and programmer Bjarki Guðmundsson, Paper Tigers have transformed distance into creative fuel. Written between Boston and Iceland following Guðmundsson's move overseas, the album captures the push and pull of two distinct songwriting styles coming together to create something that is both abrasive and deeply melodic.
Across 11 tracks, East Coaster wrestles with themes of alienation, corporate frustration, relationships, social anxiety, and the emotional exhaustion of modern life. Songs such as "This is Going to be My Year," "A Company Man," "Keep a Light on Just For Me," and "The Pope of Allston-Brighton" channel those ideas through massive walls of guitar, industrial textures, and anthemic choruses that never sacrifice emotional impact for sheer volume.
Co-produced by Guðmundsson and Cody Von Lehmden, the album also embraces experimentation. Distorted loops, unconventional guitar tones, and layered production techniques give the record a raw, unpredictable energy while maintaining a strong melodic core.
While Charmer introduced Paper Tigers as one of Boston's most promising alternative rock bands, East Coaster feels like the sound of a group completely comfortable taking risks. It is louder, stranger, and more confrontational, but also more confident in its identity.
With East Coaster, Paper Tigers deliver an album that reflects the tension, uncertainty, and sensory overload of the present day while proving that sometimes the boldest creative move is refusing to play it safe.
FOLLOW THE BAND
HOMEPAGE . MULTI . SPOTIFY . APPLE . BANDCAMP . FACEBOOK . INSTAGRAM . TIKTOK . YOUTUBE