On the radar: Paper Planes

Published on Wednesday 13 May 2009 16:17

The girl-boy band dynamic can reap rich musical rewards. Responsible for some of alternative rock's most beguiling moments, from the demure cool of The Velvet Underground & Nico to the abrasive thrash of Sonic Youth to the melodic tweeness of Glasgow bands like Belle & Sebastian or The Royal We, the addition of a female vocal to the mix can do wonders.

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It's a trick not lost on Glasgow's latest likely lads - or should that be lads and lass. Paper Planes consist of three local boys - Craig O'Brien, Fraser McFadzean and Christopher Haddow - and one American girl on vocals, Jennifer Paley. They describe how this atypical dynamic came about: "The boys were previously in male-fronted Glasgow bands without much success. Jen really liked these bands and was at most of the gigs, she had a love for music but had never really had an opportunity to create any. When the latest of these bands disintegrated, Jen was there."

And it would appear that a New Jersey accent wasn't the only thing Jen brought across the Atlantic with her. Their style draws heavily on a wide spectrum of Yankee sounds, from the elemental pop of the 1960s to wild alt-rock via drawling outlaw country, all energised with propulsive rhythms.

Having already garnered a fair smattering of hype among local tastemakers, we ask what's next on the agenda for Paper Planes?

"No releases as of yet. We are busy writing new material and keeping a relatively low profile, but we recently finished filming a video for our song 'The Sway'."

But that's not all:

Watch Paper Planes live at the Captain's Rest, Glasgow (Stag & Dagger festival) on 23 May and Glasgow School of Art on 27 May.

• For more on the best new music in Scotland, visit the Under the Radar blog