Papi Shiitake - Quarantine Dream [EP]

Trash Casual

Papi Shiitake’s new single is cool, alt-surf-rock, with artful, tremolo’d guitars, and a languid, hip-hop beat.” – BlackBook

“The brilliance of “Smile” is that, as delightful it is to listen to on repeat, the song is inescapably bittersweet and poignant.” – Atwood Magazine

Papi Shiitake sound like mornings in bed on the beach. Cold on a summer afternoon, singer Young Tuxx creates stories of optimistic isolation on top of co-writer Ryan Sieloff’s 60’s inspired dreamscapes. Longtime friends on opposite coasts, New York City and San Diego, the duo has come together to release their debut EP ‘Quarantine Dream’ out on Trash Casual.

Lazy guitars swell while Young Tuxx croons over Beatles inspired bass lines in their title track ‘Quarantine Dream’. The song, inspired by global pandemic, recounts the story of new love kept at a distance. “I’ll keep the fire burning from six feet away” sings Tuxx while he imagines a way to bridge the romantic despair of quarantine.

Their first release finds inspiration from the stark honesty of The Velvet Unground and sun drenched harmonies of The Beach Boys. Greater than the sum of its parts Papi Shiitake’s Tuxx and Sieloff blend together effortlessly. Working completely remote, the two writers send songs back and forth from coast to coast. Each song is its own capsule in time using only takes from the day it was written.

Unafraid to wear their heart on their sleeve Papi Shiitake writes without a filter. On their debut single ‘Enjoy The View’ singer Young Tuxx escapes the grind of NYC and asks listeners to step back, order some take out, and chill.  As for the single ‘Quarantine Dream,’ Tuxx says “I wrote this about 2 months after the pandemic hit NYC. The feeling in the city was so strange. It felt like something I needed to address as an artist. At the time I really wanted to see this girl who lived up the street, but no one knew if it was safe. So in the music video I wander the emptiness of Manhattan as a spirit instead. It’s hard to live in a world where romance has to stay six feet away.”  The single ‘Smile’ comes from a different mindset than the rest of the EP, “When I wrote ‘Smile’, I had just seen my therapist and I was just kind of done.. with everything. I got home and started singing the opening line, “I feel like garbage left in the sun”. ‘Smile’ is about feeling like you’re not good enough and having to face the day anyway. The song is fun and bouncy, but the lyrics are actually quite sad. It’s a visceral feeling that really resonates with people, especially in 2020″ says Tuxx.

When asked about the band’s songs and how they came to be, Young Tuxx says “We’re interested in bridging vintage and modern in a way that’s never been done before. Our songwriting process is really unique. I don’t think Papi Shiitake could have existed before 2020.”

“All of the takes on this record are from the day it was written. It’s really important to us that the listener gets to to feel the emotion and urgency of that moment in time. Writing songs is like falling in love. Young love is always the most beautiful version for people to see. Music is the same way.”

“Honesty is the key to our songwriting. It’s the special ingredient that makes music come alive. It took me a long time to get to place emotionally where I can be honest without hesitation. It’s scary to sit on that ledge, but that’s where the magic happens.”