About
Mirror
The Paperback Writers are an ordinary bunch of kids living not-so-ordinary lives. These 12 year old (now 13-14) aspiring musicians thought it would be a good idea to make a band and upload songs to YouTube. They started off simple, writing song lyrics, brainstorming ideas, and they released their debut single, "Walking On Train Tracks". This gained them a small audience mostly made up of parents and some friends to support them along the way. All of the members had one passion, and that was to create music for the people who would enjoy it, not for money and fame. Since then, they've been in it to learn. To make mistakes. To be amazing. To be creative. To be meaningful. To be kids. To be The Paperback Writers. Along the ride, the band has received several live show offers, has performed live multiple times, and has even submitted three of their songs, "Drenched In The Rain", "What Do You Know" and "Space Dream" onto the Australian radio station for young, emerging musicians with bright futures and career paths known as triple j Unearthed. Quite an accomplishment, if you ask me. Some reactions to the songs:
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Space Dream - "I don't know what it is about your voice but it's put me in a perfect state of zen. Lovely stuff!" - Tommy Faith
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Drenched In The Rain - "Such a promising introduction to The Paperback Writers!" - Celline Narinli
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Space Dream - "Makes total sense that this one's got 'dream' in the title because this is a slice of really dreamy indie pop." - Abby Butler
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Also, here's a description of us written by an unknown author:
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Sensitively sanguine 30 somethings trapped in 13 year old bodies. Spacey, poppy, mysterious, earnest and wry; often in one song. Don’t be fooled by their age, Paperback Writers have hardcover cred!
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Thank you to all the people who gave us all these kind words and really good feedback! We really appreciate it!
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Now, let's continue. Moving on:
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The members of the band are Toby Freeman, Max McKenzie, Thomas Lingard, and Elliot McCluskey. Each member plays different instruments:
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Toby Freeman: Piano, Lead Guitar, Ukulele, Keys and Vocals
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Max McKenzie: Bass, Synth, Keys and Lead Vocals
Thomas Lingard: Rhythm and Lead Guitar
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Elliot McCluskey: Drums
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And we all write the songs!
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We thank everyone for the support they have given us. We couldn't have done any of this without you all, and we hope you continue to enjoy our music! We've improved a lot since starting, and we hope you recognise that! (We've even been called the next Radiohead... Crazy.)
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And that's us. We're The Paperback Writers.
Mirror is all about looking into yourself and finding out who you truly are. There are going to be tough times, but you will get through them eventually. This story has lots of meanings, and now, you can see everything behind the lyrics.
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Walking On Train Tracks
Being the band's most viewed video and debut track, this song is all about empathy. Taking place at what is figuratively a train station, the character is about to be hit by their worst nightmare: fear.
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Stranger
Bad thoughts are chasing the protagonist, trying to bring them into their horrible world of anxiety.
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In My Mind
There is nothing to do in this new world. All they can do is ponder the essence of life and its meaning, through the thoughts in their mind.
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Mirror
They're starting to get a little crazy and start to wonder if this is just their mind playing tricks on them. Maybe someone can help them? They see a spark of hope...
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Colours
This song mainly describes what the inside of the dimension is like. The character is pleading for help, hoping someone can open the door back to the normal world.
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The Demand For Time
They wonder how much time has passed, are they running out of it?
They start to go crazy. This song represents stress and responsibility.
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Serenity
The master once again makes an appearance. Maybe telling the character why they are in this world. What they have done to deserve this. But still, the character tries to run away.
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Resonance
They're finding peace in this world, but they still want answers.
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Wish I'd Known
They wish that they had known that all this was going to happen, and now they have to carry the weight of it.
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Melody
The main character is struggling to get out of the alternate dimension, but someone else has the key to get them out. There is envy in the character's words, wishing they didn't have to go through this.
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Space Dream
Wait a second, is this a dream? The character starts to regain consciousness. Maybe with a little more help, they might be able to get out once and for all.
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Shut Up (I'm Sleeping)
The character is fast asleep and, for some odd reason, doesn't want to be woken up, but at the same time, is calling for help.
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Nothing's Gonna Keep Us Down
A sign that the character has almost made it to the next day. Because in the morning, they can always start over.
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What Do You Know
Woke up feeling sick on a Monday, but feeling happier than ever. This song is proof that no matter what you're going through, you can always try again.
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Important note: Not everything is mentioned in these brief descriptions. Many of the meanings behind each song are simply left to the interpretation of the listener, and for them to relate to define themselves. If you have any theories regarding the lyrics of these songs, feel free to contact us about them, and we can help explain them to you, After all, we're the authors.
Photo credit goes to Stephen McKenzie photo-journalist. This image once served as an alternate cover (cropped) for the "Melbourne Rose" EP.
Note: This website is a work in progress and will frequently undergo maintenance, as it is subject to change. Please excuse any general errors regarding literature throughout this entire page. That involves words, sentence structure, spelling, grammar, details, descriptions, overall writing, style, english, punctuation, flow between past and present tense, capitalised/lowercase letters (appropriate usage), third to first person and reversed, et cetera. Please be aware of any errors and/or mistakes and imperfections in the writing above and below you, such as overall flaws with the text layout, arrangements and proportions (these are barely noticeable, however, it is almost definite that some things aren't 100% centred, aligned or matched up perfectly, such as images, paragraphs, headings, subheadings, titles, lists, etc.). This website isn't fully complete yet and is still in its earlier stages, despite how it may seem. It may take a while for it to be finished. All photo credit goes to Stephen McKenzie, except for album cover designs, and a few images that go to either unknown or anonymous persons/individuals. Far more information would be available on previous site versions which have been either updated or removed and are likely no longer accessible publicly. Please note that every so often this site will undergo editing and will be temporarily deactivated/disabled for short period of time, usually before, after or sometimes during special band events/occasions which are to be recognised here to keep everything new up-to-date. Thank you for understanding. Now, of course, there is much more information and many more specific details about the the band, its history, its members, its songs, its videos, its albums, its business and transactions, criticism, and more that has not (yet) been said, (also a lot more, many pages worth, each containing items mainly consisting of a series things such as images, informative paragraphs/guides that either describe the images themselves or the backstories behind them, general band info and stories, and much, much more) as most or all of which have been deemed unnecessary here, and shall remain stored elsewhere. If the runners if this website do feel the need to place this information onto the website, they will have easy access to it. The band has agreed that what has been provided to you (text, visuals, etc.) should be plenty of information. If you have any questions and you wish to know more info, please contact us at dogfishcatturtle@gmail.com. Please do not ask or say anything inappropriate, to protect the comfort and privacy of the band members. More can/is yet to be be said about this, Also, not all of this information will always be 100% accurate or up-to-date, as has been previously mentioned multiple times. Thank you for understanding.