Over choppy, reverby guitar chords, the familiar, distinctive cry of what sounds like an EBow wails throughout the intro to Paper Sister’s most recent single. Marry Me is a scathing, scorching assault on the senses, but damn it, it hurts oh so good.
Part My Bloody Valentine, part Savages, part Mazzy Star, Paper Sister are a four-piece from Austin, Texas. Marry Me is their third single of the year so far, with their debut EP – Quiet Betrayals – due out in spring 2026.
Their newest single is unrelenting and enchanting in equal measure. At nearly 6 and a half minutes, the balance between ferociousness and melody is crucial; it doesn’t veer too much in either direction but walks the tightrope perfectly.
The instruments seem to weep over the course of the song’s duration, matching the sombre, ethereal tone set by vocalist Camille Jackson. At around the halfway point, the lead guitar really shines and brings to mind the sound of ’90s guitar heroes, Smashing Pumpkins.
The delicate combination of beauty and harshness reminds us of our own Mannequin Flowers and their uncanny ability to blend the rough effectively with the smooth. It’s dreampop, it’s shoegaze, it’s alt-rock, but it’s also not quite any of these at all.
Dreamy, hazy and beguiling, Marry Me is quite the triumph and bodes very well for Quiet Betrayals.
Written by Black Rainbow Collective
