Words by Emily Hollitt
A cacophony can be described as “a harsh discordant mixture of sounds”, a technique Paris Paloma uses in her debut record of the same name. Mixing orchestral instruments, layered harmony and a range of techniques to create large, convoluted sounds, Paloma uses production as a tool to support her songs detailing societal gender roles, the negative impacts of the patriarchy alongside her own struggles with mental health. The album runs for almost a full hour, arranged in a way that each song plays off the meaning of its’ predecessor, creating a narrative experience. Each song combines Paris’ unique knack for matching her poetic, provocative lyricism with the perfect balance of musicality and theatricality in the production of each track. ‘Cacophony’ is the perfect introductory album to what is set to be a long lasting, exciting career.
my mind (now) stands as the perfect opener for the album. Defining the ‘before’ and ‘after’ of a significant, traumatic event, the song lays out the way the mind processes this. “What did I do wrong? Will you tell me what I did wrong?” She repeats to open the track, layering harmonies as she goes. Symbolising the self-blame felt when faced with trauma, the song is a beautiful sonic representation of processing. She intakes a sharp breath as the drums kick in at the song’s midway point. Slowly, brass layers over the track as it evolves into a mess of noise. “My mind has not been silent since you”. “I never burn bridges. I just laden them with locks. I’m a smothering lover” she sings in pleaser. She sings over simple, repetitive acoustic guitars, symbolising the patterns in her behaviour as a ‘people pleaser’. Her vocals are heavily reverberated and distorted, giving the track a beautiful, yet uncomfortable atmosphere. Her voice is breathy, soft and gentle in its delivery. “Do you get upset when the waves don’t come to meet ya? Are you a people pleaser?”.
Her voice turns deep, dark and mysterious in his land. The production is minimal, inviting you to home in on her lyrics. The piano is delicate, mimicking the melody she sings. Soft strings support the piano and her voice. Paris’ vocals are again heavily reverberated, giving her this god-like, ethereal element. The story follows a man who gatekeeps certain parts of himself and how Paris treads around his self-preservation. “I’m breathing in his life when he’s out there burning low”. drywall is clear cut in its meaning, outlining the temperament of an abusive controlling man. The track is upbeat and childlike in its production, focusing more on breaking free of this man, belittling him and his obvious emotional manipulation tactics. The bridge is large as she repeats “Never making good on silent threats so he knows that I have nothing”, finishing with “Oh, but he has nothing”. “I’m severing ties” she closes.
labour is the track that led Paloma into her fame; a provocative track which outlines the higher expectations of both physical and emotional labour forced onto women in all facets of society. Touching on weaponised incompetence, the need to be smaller and suppress your own emotional needs and the expected fate to throw away your own hopes and dreams to support a man’s, the song covers all bases. She melds her verses together in a mess of sound to close the song, perfectly capturing her rage. boys, bugs and men continues this idea from the other perspective, depicting the ways men’s negative behaviours towards women are rewarded and reframed from a young age.
“And I have seen you relish such violence with a joy that I’ve only seen before in the eyes of little boys discovering their power for the first time… You’ve been playing with your power for a long time.”
She continues to explore societal gendered expectation with knitting song. Gentle acoustic guitar supports her story as she depicts memories of her grandmother knitting as well as patching up a wound she got as a child. She then moves on to a cold night with a friend who gave her a scarf to keep her warm. The track speaks about the ways in which women care for each other and the beautiful parts of the self-sacrificial caregiver role. Her vocals are gentle and soft, perfectly capturing the emotion of the song. The theme of women supporting women and reclaiming their power continues in as good a reason. Detailing conversations with women across different ages repossessing their spite and turning it into their own power; acting against their expectations and living the life that they choose. “Cos every time you are succeedin’ there’s an old man out their seething. And spite’s as good a reason to take his power”. The song is a lot more pop-oriented and anthemic than previous tracks, giving it a mantra-like quality.
triassic love song is stripped back and minimal. The song uses the 250-million-year-old ‘Triassic cuddle’ as a metaphor; a fossil of 2 creatures who died wrapped up together, like they were holding each other in their last moments. She describes a night with a lover, holding each other until they need to part. “What a lovely hiding place that you have made to delay our parting. What a world outside to keep each other safe from”. She continues this use of historical metaphor in escape pod. Referencing the fate of Laika the space dog, who was shot off into space before the technology to de-orbit was invented, sending her out into the atmosphere to die. The production is very similar to triassic love song, predominately based around finger-picked acoustic guitar. It grows in the final chorus as she layers strings, harp and vocal harmonies.
last woman on earth is dark in both its production and her vocal delivery. And for good reason. It depicts the constant terror of living as a woman, particularly during this increased wave of femicides and sexual violence. “Leave me to the beasts and the bears, I’d rather that the feast was theirs” she sings, depicting how women are even sexualised in death. She speaks about how men would pay to have plots of land reserved above her grave to be buried above her body. Her voice grows desperate and pleading in the song’s bridge as she sings.
“And they will come in such dismay that they never did discover where I lay. And I will burn my flesh and form, screaming the words ‘I will never be yours’. I’ll take the flame over desecration. Promise you’ll make all these arrangements. Don’t you dare think it’s overkill. I wouldn’t wish the watching on anybody. So, if for that reason only, swear to me you will.”
“Death won’t bring what you think it will” she sings in bones on the beach, detailing her own battle with mental health. She circles back to the opening track, referencing the loudness in her mind. “There’s no sentience in death” she repeats. The song is a reminder to combat your own thoughts, even when living feels tough. Hunter continues this theme of learning to live with mental health struggles. Depicting herself as a hunter and her mental struggles as a beast. “If you were easy to kill, I would have done it already” she says, before switching it up in the second verse to “If I were easy to kill, you would have done it already”. “You were at my feet, we were by the fire” she sings in the bridge, outlining how she learnt to co-exist with her beast.
She continues this metaphor with the warmth, using warmth as a metaphor for her beginning to move out of her depressive period. “It can’t hurt me. It’s still there, but it’s can’t now the warmth’s returning” she repeats. The song is vivid in its imagery, beautifully capturing the feeling of reclaiming your mental clarity. yeti details the strange period of indifference once you’ve healed from a relationship. “We’re nothing but myths now” she sings in each chorus. “I never thought I’d never care about you. But here we are”. Old Sea Brigade features on the track, his gentle vocals complimenting Paris’ beautifully. “My mouth’s forgotten how to shape your name, the way it sounds”.
‘Cacophony’ is set to be one of the most influential albums of 2024. Paris Paloma delves deeply into her trauma in a way that must not only be healing for her, but for her listeners. Depicting the scariest parts of femininity and low mental health, she has created a truly remarkable, vulnerable piece of work that will be relatable and comforting to many. Outside of the provocative nature of the record, Paloma’s music is expertly produced, creating a signature, unmistakable sound unique to her and her alone. The album is not only a comfort to anyone who has ever shared her rage, spite or trauma, but an incredible introductory offering to one of the most exciting modern artists making waves right now.
With thanks to Nettwerk Music Group
