Just as the band is wrapping up the first leg of their Canadian tour including media showcases in Montreal (Oct 7) and Toronto (Oct 17), Sparks Music is happy to announce that Papermaps have been added to the CMJ Music Marathon! They will perform at The Left Field on Saturday October 19 at midnite.

The album had it’s exclusive premiere yesterday via Black Book Magazine (N.Y.) and Jack Rabid has just called their new CD “Darker Lights”…”bold, blasting and beautiful” in his Brooklyn based rock magazine The Big Takeover! We thank you New York City!!!

Papermaps, “There Are Wolves” is being featured tonight on MTV’s Catfish: The TV Show airing at 10pm ST/9pm CST. “There Are Wolves” is from the bands 2012 EP “Inferior Ghost”.

Papermaps is set to realease their pivotal third album “Darker Lights” this fall with official dates for a cross-Canada tour starting September 28th

Regarding the guitar, Mark Richardson of Pitchfork recently wrote, “the last several years have been bad ones for the instrument. In independent music circles, the guitar has become synonymous with regression, a symbol used to evoke something from the past.”

Richardson was writing about the most recent release by British band, My Bloody Valentine. He went on to highly praise the record and its use of “the expressive power of the processed guitar.” Pitchfork’s positive stance towards MBV’s new album is reassuring to Papermaps frontman and principal songwriter Dean Marino because recent lineup changes and sonic exploration have once again shifted the band’s modus operandi – this time towards a darker, more atmospheric and guitar-driven sound. With just two releases under their belt, Toronto’s Papermaps have been hard to pin down. Critics have made comparisons with acts as varied as Sloan, Television, Nada Surf, and the Posies. Their 2011 eponymous debut album (Sparks/EMI) was dominated by earnest, hook-centered powerpop, best illustrated by the single “Reunion”, while their 2012 mini-album Inferior Ghost (Sparks/Universal) was a transitional piece hinting at the sonically dense and moody sound typical of their recent live shows.

Tireless promotion of their two releases took its toll on the band and shortly after the release and tour for Inferior Ghost keyboardist Wendy Leung and keyboardist/guitarist Todd Harrison left the band.

Stripped down to a three piece consisting of Marino on guitar and vocals, Betty Dimo on bass and sometimes baritone guitar and Bobby Lee on drums, the band soldiered on, honoring show commitments while reinventing their sound. Gone entirely are the light piano hooks and group choruses mostly facilitated Leung and Harrison. Instead, Marino pushed his effected guitar to the fore and focused on the ideal of dynamics, tension and sonic texture through minimalist techniques. New material emerged around this mindset and the band retreated to their newly built studio, Echo Valley to further develop their new sound.

To aid and complement this process the band recruited Andy Soto (guitarist/synthesist from the Paris, France based post-rock shoegaze outfit, Utopium) to add even more ambient and sonic density. Soto made his first live appearance with Papermaps at their 2013 Canadian Music Week showcase where the band debuted several new songs. From recent shows it’s clear that Papermaps are moving away from their straight powerpop roots and towards a textured and dream-like sound, influenced by bands such as Tamaryn, Besnard Lakes and Spiritualized.

Tour Dates:

September 28, Avante Garde Bar, Ottawa ON
September 30, Plan B, Moncton NB
October 1, Gus’ Pub, Halifax NS
October 4, Cellar Pub, Fredericton NB
October 7, Montreal, Divan Orange
October 11, TBA, Guelph ON
October 12, Foxx Lounge, Barrie ON
October 17, Handlebar, Toronto ON

Papermaps is releasing their third album,”Darker Lights”, on October 8th 2013

We are pleased to inform you that Conan O’Brien’s “Team Coco” website has the exclusive world premiere of the new JF Robitaille video “Cry (To Keep From Laughing)”. You can view the video at Team Coco or just view it below.

A little background on the video…

French cinema pioneer Georges Méliès’ 1905 short film entitled “Le Dirigeable fantastique ou le Cauchemar d’un inventeur” provides the backdrop for Sparks’ artist JF Robitaille’s catchy new single “Cry (To Keep From Laughing)”.

This “cross-century” collaboration is intended to show the breadth and endurance of Georges Méliès’ outstanding and timeless visuals. Méliès is to many modern filmmakers a profound figure, and what was once seemingly dated or quaint is now increasingly inspirational in an age that is comfortable with exploring fantasy and imaging technique. The work of Georges Méliès has been referenced and inspired a number of modern works, including the 2007 illustrated novel “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” by Brian Selznick, and Martin Scorsese’s 2011 film adaptation of it as “Hugo”. Like JF’s single itself, this music video is a collage of both retro and modern elements. JF Robitaille’s album Rival Hearts is now available on iTunes and many other fine retailers.