Love for Papaya Tree
“Sydney’s own genre melting pot, Papaya Tree…have been feeding Australia a fine diet of bangers like ‘Bamboo Schooner’, ‘Radar’ and ‘Youth’ since 2017, and selling out shows in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth.” – Tone Deaf
“Papaya Tree are a fresh offering in Sydney’s music scene.” – Lunchbox TV
“A melting pot of pop, jazz, indie, funk, reggae and soul it’s safe to say there is a lot going on in this band. Yet, somehow, Papaya Tree lasso, wrangle and ride this beast of influences into their own sound that just works.” – Laundry Echo
“Eclectic Sydney outfit Papaya Tree doesn’t let up for a second.” – The Music
“Papaya tree is a funky slice of indie rock’n’roll that ebbs and flows across a spectrum of genres, with a surprise heavy breakdown thrown in for good measure.” – Pilerats
Papaya Tree straddle the line with members between New South Wales and Victoria, just as they’re planted between genres and styles. This six-piece outfit are always refining their sound and influenced by their history as Jazz students, indie contemporary producers and morticians. After releasing “Out In The Wash” followed by a dashing bass driven Remix earlier this year, Papaya Tree are walking down the music isle with new tune “Flowergirl” – out now!
Recorded at Parliament Studios, the song was mixed by Phan Sjarif and is another tale of unrequited love as Lee explains,“‘Flowergirl’ is a true story written about Joe (Bass Player), his time working in a Newtown Bar and the crush that never came to be. One day during a never-ending shift, a girl came to change the bistro flowers. Before Joe could ask her name she’d left, only knowing her as ‘Flowergirl’. Whilst being a love song, it is also an escapist anthem about the mundane aspects of life, menial jobs and hope for a future.”
‘”Flowergirl’ provides a distraction from all these and a reminder to live in the moment. Sonically, ‘Flowergirl’ takes inspiration from 90s Britpop, channeling energy from Oasis and The Verve as well as mixing orchestral power with floating guitar tones evocative of The Smiths and Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever.” – PAPAYA TREE
Keeping in line to the collage theme of their previous single artwork, the band took old wedding photos from their parents! “We went for a real 80s inspired, almost ‘Take on me” (a-ha-) esque style. Not only was the time period fitting, but the story of that video clip also related to what the song was about!”
The band (consisting of Lee McDermott, Jack Johnston, Zac Olsen, Alistair Hayes, Jordan Tulinsky, and Joe Plunkett) have built an audience around eclectic and unpredictable live performances including sold-out shows in Sydney (Waywards, World Bar Lansdowne Hotel), Melbourne (The Gasometer), and Perth (The Fremantle School of Arts).
Gaining praise from The Music, Music Feeds, Scenestr, The Loop and Tonedeaf alongside spot rotation on Triple J, Fbi and other tastemaker community radio stations across Australia, the band is expanding their ever-growing fanbase with a huge run of releases and shows into 2021.
