Jerry Paper released their single “Kno Me” along with the announcement for their upcoming album, Free Time. Paper, although not quite a household name, is really up and coming in the world of music–they’ve collaborated with artists like Homeshake, Bad Bad Not Good, and Tyler the Creator.
The sound of “Kno Me” embraces the guitar-heavy, full band sound of Paper’s previous record, Abracadabra–it’s a vaguely funky, sorta-kinda rock aesthetic, marrying over-driven guitars with goofy synths. The guitar chords that kick off the track maintain the backbone of the song along with the steady beat with an arpeggiated synth coming in and out. This indescribable hybrid of genres makes for a joyous and unexpected exploration–with Jerry Paper, you never quite know what to expect.
The lyrics highlight this point as well: though much of the song repeats the titular line “You don’t know me”, it drives home the heart of artist-fan dissent. Despite what listeners might believe, it’s impossible to truly know an artist you’ve never met, even if you’ve consumed all of their artistic output and read every interview. The music video for the song indicates this as well. It features Jerry in full pink cow-person garb failing to mount a horse, climatically ambushed by a member of the paparazzi.
In 2020, Jerry came out as non-binary on Instagram, an announcement welcomed by many, but questioned by others. The balance of private and public is a struggle for many in the entertainment industry, and it seems that Paper plans to tackle this aspect of his life in Free Time. The caption of the “Kno Me” music video states:
“Kno Me” is taken from the synth-pop, weird-rock, bizarro-muzak masterpiece: Free Time, an expression of Jerry Paper’s freedom on their journey to self-discovery as a nonbinary artist, groover, and, most importantly, shaker of a**.
The tracklist for Free Time is quite exciting for fans of Paper–it features “Gracie III”, a sequel to the first and second odes to their wife, Gracie (the second being a fan favorite). “Shaking A**” and “Duumb” pique interest as well.
Free Time comes out on April 15th.
