B-Side Guys

Desolation acquires a peculiar beauty when witnessed from the right distance. On “Lies,” Norway’s Paper Chimes transforms emotional remoteness into an immersive terrain worth exploring, crafting a meditation on self-deception that feels less like confession and more like cartography.

The track begins with deceptive simplicity—sparse guitar work and hushed vocals pose the disarming question: “What am I to you / When the sun carves through my skin / Am I dust on your hands.” This opening immediately establishes both vulnerability and a tactile physicality that runs throughout the composition. There’s something startlingly intimate about the image of sunlight “carving” through skin, suggesting both illumination and damage—a duality that becomes the song’s emotional fulcrum.

When the chorus arrives—”Lies / All the lies / That I whisper / To myself / To stay whole”—Paper Chimes reveals the track’s true subject: not external deception but internal mythology. The production wisely maintains atmospheric restraint here, allowing the revelation to emerge naturally rather than announcing itself with predictable dynamic shifts. This compositional patience reflects the Norwegian artist’s northern environment, where light and darkness operate on extended timescales.

What distinguishes “Lies” from similar introspective folk-rock is how the arrangement mirrors emotional states without resorting to obvious techniques. When Paper Chimes sings “When you speak / And I still / Run / After you,” the melody doesn’t literally run or accelerate—instead, it creates a weightless quality that suggests perpetual motion and perpetual distance simultaneously. This subtle approach demands attentive listening but rewards it with genuine emotional resonance.

The track’s repeated question—”Will you let me in / Can you see me here / Or am I lost / In the air / We breathe”—functions as both lyrical hook and philosophical inquiry. Paper Chimes explores how presence and absence can coexist, how one can be physically present yet emotionally invisible. The production underscores this paradox through its careful balance of immediate vocal intimacy and atmospheric expansiveness.

“Lies” creates a remarkably complete emotional world within its modest runtime. Like the train journey described in the artist’s own notes, the track offers both introspective solitude and changing landscapes—a private experience set against a moving backdrop. Paper Chimes has crafted something that honors influences like Nick Drake and Bon Iver while carving out distinctly personal territory in the frozen north.