“Good Intentions" by Paper Route, Monday, September 5, 2022

When Paper Route announced that they would be releasing their debut LP Absence on Universal Motown, a now defunct subsidiary of Universal Republic Records, I thought that it was an interesting, if not somewhat strange choice of a label. But Paper Route is a band that aimed to challenge musical genre. Absence moves away from the band's Americana roots and into an electronic sound. But it's tracks in the center of the record like "Be Healed," "Good Intentions" and even the New-Wave inspired "Tiger Teeth" that contain the soul of the record. Perhaps the band isn't Motown, but their sound certainly expanded on Absence. 

I WANNA BE YOUR TV SET. The airy pop tune "Good Intentions" shifts the album from rock to pop, following "Wish" and "Carousel." By the middle of the album it seems clear that Paper Route is a better pop group than rock band. Paper Route's bassist and keyboardist Chad Howat talked about the band's history on the Your Favorite Band Podcast. Howat explains that he began writing a lot of songs when he couldn’t sleep after his former band, For All the Drifters, dissolved. The sound of Paper Route was more ethereal than For All the Drifters, a straight-forward rock band, and Howat’s experimentation with digital recording and electronic music was yet to be fully realized until the band’s EP Are We All Forgotten. He also talks about how Paper Route was signed to Universal Motown and allowed to do virtually whatever they wanted, meaning that the band didn't have to make Motown music. The sub-label folded after Absence was released, leaving the band without a label. And since then, Paper Route has wandered from indie label to indie label before going on a long hiatus since 2018. 

MY DREAM IS FINALLY COMING TRUE. As time passes without the collaborative work of Howat and singer JT Daly, I'm reminded of Paper Route's commitment to keeping the real in pop music rather than conforming to the fickle, plastic nature of pop trends. "Good Intentions" is a song about not passing the muster in a relationship. What the speaker thought of as well-crafted plans were actually just dreams. Unaware, when he thought he was doing his best, he had actually been fobbing off responsibility to satisfy the listener. Of course, the speaker in this song only admits "I've got no execution," not admitting that he is probably at fault--it's so much easier to play the victim in a relationship and blame it on the other person. Intentions won’t make it in the music business, nor any other field for that matter. A two-bit effort will pay off with two-bit dividends. But success isn’t just about hard work; if that were true Paper Route would have gotten huge. And certainly it’s not the most talented that enjoy success; the creative team can cover up a lack of talent with catchiness. But combine intentions, work, talent, luck, and connections, you might get a hit; you might get the job; you’ll probably survive. Best of luck!

Read “Good Intentions” by Paper Route on Genius.