Phoenix indie band Paper Foxes welcome us to ‘Paradise Deluxe’

It's not that Paper Foxes don't like their debut album, 2019's "Popular Confessions." Rather, the local "death disco" band see it as the product of a different "era" in their history.

"We had a few different songwriters on that record. Half of the band has changed since then; we're just a completely different group," says frontman CJ Jacobson. "I wouldn't say we don't sound like the same band; it's just a different vibe. I think we're kind of onto something. We're figuring out our identity."

Jacobson, especially, has dealt with creative uncertainty, and he's worked hard to get back to a place where he can really enjoy making music again.

"What got me excited about music again was when I played the Rock Lottery earlier this year," says Jacobson. "It reminded me that I am a strong songwriter and I can do this. That's where all this new material is coming from. I hadn't been excited for probably almost two years. I got stuck in a rut and wasn't really sure."

But it wasn't just sharing the stage with other musicians that helped. Jacobson also grew his skill set, and that lead to some important changes for how Paper Foxes write and record.

"During that time, I was teaching myself how to use Logic Pro X, which is just a studio program," Jacobson says. "I didn't really have the intention of eventually tracking the band, but that's what it's become. You develop in different ways when you're going through stuff and maybe you don't even realize it."

The process has led directly to the band's forthcoming sophomore album, "Paradise Deluxe." It's a more obvious demonstration of Paper Foxes' skills and abilities, and the opening salvo of the band's latest era. It's also very much a response to life as an indie band working in 2024. (You can preorder the deluxe vinyl edition on the band's website.)

"To be honest, I want to put more music out all the time," Jacobson says. "One of the reasons it took us so long to get this done is we started doing this record a few years ago at Flying Blanket Recording, which is an amazing studio, but it was just getting really expensive. We'd only finished three or four songs of it and we'd already spent a few thousand dollars."

So, the band responded by taking some inspiration from Jacobson's own creative "journey" and overhauled their recording process.

"So I started rethinking things and figuring out how we can do things that's a little more cost-effective, so we can be putting out more music more consistently," Jacobson says. "So one half (of the LP) we do with Bob (Hoag) at Flying Blanket, and we did the other half with our drummer's roommate, Collin Bashaw. It's just doing things differently; we've gotten some really good results."

It’s not just that Bashaw is cheaper; he also offers Paper Foxes a new kind of perspective.

"Collin is a genius and really good at working with our stuff," Jacobson says. "It's funny because most of the stuff he works on is heavy metal and hardcore punk. So we're a lot different for him, which I think he gets excited about. Since then, we're going to be able to keep putting things out more consistently and much easier."

For one, the new approach offers the band more creative time and space to explore.

"It used to be that we'd all have to show up at the studio at the same time on the right day," Jacobson says. "You do a lot of tracking together and then there's individual tracking and overall it's just a lot of waiting around. What we do now is I just go to whoever's house I'm working with that day. I set up my laptop and my interface. And we track what we need to track. We can get whatever experimental or different things we want to do, and whatever fun ideas we want to play with. Then we just send that off to Collin and we wait for the results."
It also offers the various members more flexibility as they get older and band life grows ever more complicated.

"We're all in our 30s, and we need to be able to move our schedules around," Jacobson says. "Everybody has lives and crazy things going on. It's been more freeing, and it's just made the creative process less stressful. We can just go at our own pace, but I feel like we're a little more productive because of it. I'm able to write things based on what I'm being inspired by and get that creative process going faster."

As Jacobson said, it very much keeps the band in the moment creatively.

"At this rate, I could probably put a song out maybe in a six-week turnaround if I really, really wanted to, as opposed to it used to be maybe six months," Jacobson says. "It keeps us more excited and more passionate about what we're doing. You're always excited about what you're working on most recently."

That relevancy, then, has a few important side effects, if you will. The first is that in an age of dwindling attention spans, Paper Foxes can stay at the top of everyone's feeds.

"It's important to stay consistent," Jacobson says. "I mean, the industry has changed so much, especially with social media. Staying connected with people who are listening to us is so important. If we can put out a song every two or three months, that's so much better than six months or a year or so."

But more than social media engagement, this shift has informed and extended how Paper Foxes re-approach their live show, including an Aug. 4 show at Crescent Ballroom.

"The thing that's really changed on this record, in general, is that we're starting to add elements that we're not necessarily able to all play live, so we're going to be doing more backing tracks and stuff," Jacobson says. "I look at it as a way of moving forward because, I mean, your creativity can be bigger than two guitars, a synthesizer, drums and bass, and that's OK."

He adds, "It makes it so we can throw that stuff into the set more and test out the waters because we're able to see fan reactions and see if people are enjoying it and see if there's something worth pursuing and if we want to record it and put it out. Or, maybe we need to take it back to the drawing floor and discuss it a little bit."
That's not to say there haven't been setbacks or other sacrifices. Rather, the band look at it as an exciting opportunity to further grow/develop.

"It's been a really big learning curve for us, figuring out how to do backing tracks properly and getting things nice and tight. Making sure our drummer has in-ears with a metronome and all that," Jacobson says. "We've had two shows now where we've tried our backing track. The first one we really struggled with. The second one we did a little bit better with. It's still part of the process; we're still figuring that thing out."

All of this begs that oh-so important question if "Paradise Deluxe" is worth it. Based on the title track and lead single, the band are clearly on to something. The track, which Jacobson says was influenced by "early 2000 bands like Franz Ferdinand, Klaxon and The Bravery," is a compelling but subtle enough evolution for Paper Foxes. It's maybe not especially groundbreaking, but there's a heft and power that feel like a more open and engaged version of Paper Foxes.

"I think it definitely does encapsulate the overall vibe we generally go for: danceable but kind of moody," Jacobson says. "But in general, it's like a little mix of New Wave and definitely some indie rock and some danceable stuff. But we try to slow it down a little bit and get a little more dramatic and thoughtful and intimate with it sometimes."

Not that the band have any intentions of actually slowing things down. There are more shows to play leading up to the record's October release. Then, of course, the band want to keep the momentum with "a few singles out early next year," says Jacobson.

But in the meantime, does "Paradise Deluxe" the album meet the band's own expectations?

"I would say I am more proud of it," Jacobson says. "Just in the sense that I'm more excited about it. I feel like we're achieving more of the voice of what our identity is as a band. I'm not saying this is the one for us, but I think this is important in our development and what we're going to do next."

On the other hand, things can only grow and shift so much. When all is said and done, Paper Foxes will always have one mission they can pin their hopes and dreams to.

"Life sucks sometimes and people need something to dance to and forget about things," Jacobson says.

Paper Foxes. 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 4. Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Grab your tickets here.