"Sugar" by Paper Route, Sunday, February 26, 2023 + The Peace of Wild Things Track by Track

 

As we wind down on “love month,” I thought I’d share one of my favorite albums  filled with love songs, Paper Route’s sophomore record The Peace of Wild Things. I’ve written about many of the tracks before, but here I’d like to give a home for future posts as well as give a brief reflection on each song. As I’ve discussed, The Peace of Wild Things takes its name from a poem by poet, farmer, and conservationist Wendell Barry whose themes discuss the importance of people returning to nature and reducing reliance on the industrialized world. However, Barry’s more radical themes do not seem to impact the record. The songs that I’ve written about before will have a link. 

1. “Love Letters” starts the record with the imagery of Adam waiting for Eve in the Garden of Eden. The song isn’t quite a straight-forward love song, with singer JT Daly claiming, “This time I’m different.” The rhythmic drums also distract listeners from thinking in terms of genre—is it rock or is it pop? 

2. “Two Hearts” is a beautiful love song with much less nuance than the previous track. While The Peace of Wild Things is a complex album telling a love story from beginning to end, “Two Hearts” is one of the tracks that makes the record seem simple as a boy meeting a girl.

3. “Better Life” was the first single from the album. I think the single came out at least a year before The Peace of Wild Things. “Better Life” is about a break up when one partner still loves the other. Despite the end of a love story, the hope of a “Better Life” rings through the chorus. The ‘80s new wave pop sound make the song both sad and uplifting at the same time. This song is probably the most impactful Paper Route song as it helped me see that a better life could come even after everything I had put my hope in had failed my senior year in college. I’ve written about this time before, but I’m sure that “Better Life” will have its own post one day.  

4. “Glass Heart Hymn” Track 4 takes the album even in a darker direction. Returning to the Genesis allusions, the song evokes biblical story of Cain and Abel, in which the older brother kills his brother. The sorrow in the song is at its pinnacle when Daly asks, “Lord, have you walked away from me?” He is answered by a choir singing “Hallelujah . . . Let it rain, let it pour down on you.” 

 5. “Sugar” brings the album back to optimism with a beautiful love song. First released on Noisetrade’s 25 Love Songs in February 2012, “Sugar” is one of the most uncomplicated love songs that Paper Route has written. This is not to say that it’s fluff. 

6. “You and I” was the single released along with the album. It was the only track on the album to get an official music video. The song is about two lovers who never seem to mesh. Their love is ill-fated and ultimately both continue to hurt each other, though the speaker of the song takes the blame. He tells her, “Run for your life” when there’s an opening.

7. “Letting You Let Go.” While the speaker may have given his lover an out in the previous track, “Letting You Let Go” turns to accusation. It’s a faster track than most of the songs on the album, though it doesn’t come off as angry. It’s a lamentation while moving quickly. 

8. “Tamed” is a haunting track. It’s the shortest track, 2:48 and features uncredited vocals from Cacie Dalager, lead singer of indie rock band Now, Now. The track also features harpist Timbre. The band preformed the track on BYUtv’s Audio Files and the artistic performance can still be found on YouTube. 

 9. “Rabbit Holes.” One of the most mysterious tracks on The Peace of Wild Things, “Rabbit Holes” constantly looks for peace but fails to find it. This song is also the basis of my Year of the Rabbit Playlist.                                                                     10. “Calm My Soul.” The last song on the record gives the album gospel finish in the way that all three of the Paper Route albums do. The band has brought its listeners on a journey and it ends with a message of hope.