RELEASE: The Just Luckies and The Papers Split EP

AEMMP Records, Columbia College Chicago’s award-winning student-run record label, is proud to be releasing a split EP from two female-fronted folk bands. 

On one side there are The Just Luckies (right), a whimsical female duo whose playful tunes could be characterized somewhere between indie, folk, and punk. The string-picking panache and lively vocals of KC Weldon along with the rhythmic spirits and harmonies of Shea Briggs brought the two together as songwriters. Their debut EP, Red, White, & Bruised was released in August of 2014. Together, The Just Luckies bring a new vitality and a needed rejuvenation to the folk and indie music scenes.

The second side of the split record belongs to orchestral folk outfit: The Papers. Their epic thundering sound leads the listener to assume that this is an army of a band, overflowing the stage. That is not the case. They are a humble three-piece, consisting of Matt Script on guitar, keyboards, and vocals, Mike Sportiello, the in-house jack-of-all-trades on drums, percussion, keyboards, vocals, and production, and lastly, the lovely Marie Hahn (left) who serenades the listener with her tranquil smooth voice engulfing the instrumentation into one collective force.

The Papers released their debut EP, Care Less, in November of 2013. They recently released their sophomore EP Anyway in July of 2014. Both EPs were recorded and produced by Sportiello, who works as a studio manager at IV Lab Studios. Currently, the band is working on writing new material and has launched (a somewhat unorthodox) Kickstarter. They are only asking for $1 and for fans to send them POV videos of themselves on bike rides. The band plans to edit all the video submissions together as a backdrop to their music.  

Featuring “Convictions”, “Lake Michigan”, and “Class Clowns” from Red, White, & Bruised along with “Disbelief, “Another Anyway”, and “Glad That You Noticed” from Anyway, this AEMMP split release juxtaposes the two bands sounds’ which are both rooted in folk, but demonstrate the influences of modern indie music.

When listening to The Just Luckies’ quirky, playful tunes, you can hear influences from artists like Alabama Shakes and  Jenny Lewis, but with a youthful songwriting perspective. The Papers’ full-sounding sonic compositions resemble those from groups like Of Monsters and Men or Walk Off The Earth, and also lyrically speak towards issues around growing up. Together, this Split EP showcases both groups’ originality and will be enjoyed by music fans young and old.

The Just Luckies: website, Facebook

The Papers: website, Facebook

Press contacts: kayla@aemmp.org or jordyn@aemmp.org