Getting Got with Curse Reverser’s Paper Dinner [Album Premiere]
Please let the official record show that when Super Wimpy Punch posted earlier this fall that they “do not play” when they “say that this album is full of exclusively certified hits” and that they “will take this to court” we thought, okay, let’s let W.W be the judge of this then. The independent Philadelphia-based record label has a pretty strong history of releasing tragically undersung, but highly potent cassette tapes, so Wormbrain World was on the case straight away to find out more.
The album in question is Paper Dinner, the debut full length from Curse Reverser. The PHL/NYC trio bring us a ten track alternative rock LP that plays with smart grooves and equally clever lyrics. Curse Reverser marks the return of guitarist/vocalist Sean Clark and drummer Adam Mikhail, previously of Philly art rock outfit Line Leader — forming this project in late 2019 with bassist/vocalist Katie Hanford, leading to this experimental indie pop gem.
We were able to listen early and now you can too, two days before its official release this Friday, 11/12/21. Listen below and let W.W know what you think.
Wormbrain was able to ask all three members of Curse Reverser about each of the songs on their new full length Paper Dinner. Here is what they told us:
In 1. AN INVITATION you said, "Out of sight, out of mind, I was crushed like a bug and I'm out..." — what kind of bug were you imagining yourself as?
SC: I was thinking of a big crunchy beetle with green guts - kinda like this boardgame SPLAT! I had as a kid
KH: Kafka-esque for sure. Somewhere right between man and bug. I think he ends up being a roach?
AM: The Danny Glover ant from Antz.
In 2. BAD GATEWAY you ask, "Can't you see what's coming next? Well, without ever knowing, you could take a wild guess..." — Can you please take a wild guess as to what's coming next? We'll check back in on your predictions in the future.
AM: COVID-22, you heard it here first.
KH: Adam’s a cynic. Up next: a 2022 mini-tour through the northeast, sans COVID…
SC: Peace will guide the planets and love will steer the stars
In 3. RECIPE BOOK you wonder, "If I leave tonight, start my whole life brand new, would that missing piece ever find me too?" If you did indeed leave tonight to start a brand new life all over, where do you think we'd find you next week?
SC: Margaritaville. Or more realistically Olympia, Washington.
KH: Berlin. I’ll party so much, it won’t matter if I don't know how to speak German.
In 4. BUMP you say, "Just keep me distracted, distracted's what I like." What are three of your favorite ways to keep yourself distracted?
AM: Nibbling on spongecake, watching the sun bake, strumming my six string, searching for my lost shaker of salt.
SC: Salt! Salt! Salt!
KH: Sorry for the Buffett theme - we’re all Parrotheads.
In 5. SCAVENGER HUNT you say "too stoned in a Chinese restaurant, couldn't bring myself to eat." If you could have eaten, what do you think you'd have ordered?
SC: Sesame tofu :)
KH: Fruit roll-ups
AM: Agreed on sesame tofu! KT is singing and she doesn’t even like Chinese food.
Photo by Julia Leiby.
In 6. JOKE FELL FLAT you say "You wait your turn, your joke fell flat, and not a one let out a laugh! A pity laugh!" Are there any particularly weak jokes that you're known for telling?
SC: My jokes are notoriously bad, I was so frequently getting groans from the CR mates that I think I decided to write a song about it. Had a joke I thought was pretty good - something like “what I’m having for dinner is naan of your business” and Adam said it caused him physical pain.
KH: The worst jokes are always punny. Sean certainly tells the most. I’m a close second. Adam is really perfecting his groan at this point.
AM: My bandmates are not as funny as myself...
In 7. NECTARINE you say, "You and me drive around, all the windows down, I made you a new playlist..." and I need to know, what kinds of songs are your go-to for driving around with the windows down?
KH: Dad rock only - the cheesier the better. Lately it’s been Pete Yorn’s “musicforthemorningafter.” I’m also very excited for the new OVLOV record. I think those bops will be great for some autumnal backroad driving.
AM: I don’t have a car, but the second Fontaines DC record has been good for subway surfing.
SC: House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls
Photo by Julia Leiby.
In 8. I GOT GOT you say "Turn my skeleton into gelatin, It's not Halloween but I'm dressing up." Do you eat gelatin? If so, what are your most favorite and least favorite Jello flavors? Also, did you dress up for Halloween this?
SC: I don’t eat Jell-o but I did once encase a Big Muff in Jell-o. It didn’t work so well after that. I was Cory Hanson for Halloween.
AM: Not a fan in general, but I appreciated Sean’s Big Muff experiment.
KH: Now’s the time for Jell-o salads! Don’t let a week go by without serving one! (I also dressed as this for Halloween)
In 9. PAPERWEIGHT you say "Tell 'em, if I'm gonna go out it's gonna be in style, like a rainbow on fire, it's my vision of the afterlife." Do you really believe in the afterlife? What do you imagine it's like?
KH: If it does exist, it’s somewhere in between Margaritaville and the paradise from Cheeseburger in Paradise.
SC: I guess I believe in reincarnation? Heaven is a place on Earth. Hell is wet socks. I hope next life I get to be bros with my brother again.
In 10. BROKEN RECORD the final lyrics on the record are "try not to come off too desperate, reliving a nightmare I had once." Are you willing to share your most recent nightmare with us?
AM: Last nightmare I had: I kept trying to wipe after using the bathroom, but could never get clean…
KH: I had a dream last night that we were playing a warehouse show with Snoozer, but the only way I could play bass was by pressing the number keys on my iPhone keyboard. Not the smoothest performance I’ve had, real or otherwise.
SC: Set in a small German-style village, I’m one of the head organizers of a yearly festival to celebrate the devil. According to tradition or legend, Satan accepts our harvest offerings and joins the festivities, choosing one lucky person to host him in their body. To my surprise, He comes to me in the form of a bug that crawls in my ear and inhabits my body for the day, and I was actually honored. I felt powerful. Real pleasant dream. My actual nightmares are all about crashing cars, skull emoje.
Photo by Julia Leiby.
“Dad rock only - the cheesier the better.”
W.W: What is Wormbrain?
SC: If an earworm is when you get a catchy song stuck on repeat, then Wormbrain is the place all those good songs come from like a super computer or a tapped collective conscious or Benny Blanco maybe.
KH: Wormbrain is everything and nothing simultaneously. Or an advanced case of neurosyphilis.
AM: Wormbrain is that moment between sleeping and waking, the feeling when you stand up too fast, the first warm day of spring. Maybe IDK.
W.W: Thank you for sharing with Wormbrain.
Curse Reverser’s Paper Dinner is available on Friday, November 12th, 2021 everywhere through Philadelphia, PA label Super Wimpy Punch.
