Before you blink at the title β Singapore’s alt-indie quartet Newton Circus has an explanation. The inspiration for this Top 10 came when Jefri (the bandβs guitarist) posted an Instagram video of himself shredding paper in the lead up to their summery track, ‘Cellophane’. Jefriβs video became a talking point between them, not least because it resonated with the four all having office jobs in the day, before hitting the studios at night.
And so with music, even the mundane can become self-therapy. When the daily grind hits you hard, let Newton Circus take you through their immersive playlist for βshredding paper toβ below.
1. The Martini’s – ‘Free’
“Shredding paper can be a therapeutic journey: the idea of removing a mindβs clutter with a continuous tactile experience sure beats simply deleting something from your device on a whim. Plus, the calming effect of a steady auditory metronome from the shredder elucidates melody, such as this classic track from the Empire records soundtrack.”
2. The Temper Trap – ‘Rabbit Hole’
“‘I don’t wanna be the only one ’round here’ the track begins. After all, shredding paper is usually a lonely affair. But as the track picks up towards its crescendo, the solitude transforms into a purposeful creative destruction that engenders a revitalisation within.”
3. The Killers – ‘All These Things That Iβve Done’
“There comes a point in time when you realise that what is being destroyed is actually the result of hours of your hard work. And the added realisation that ours will always be etched in memory, even though we cannot carry the physical proof along with us. A moment to savour.”
4. Tame Impala – ‘Elephant’
“OK, shredding piles of paper can be boring. Why not imagine something bizarre, like stuffing a size of an Elephant? The absorbing beats to this tune sure helps alleviate the boredom.”
5. FKJ – ‘Instant Need’
“Hereβs where we switch grooves to mix it up. Weβve been here for twenty minutes already and weβre starting to actually LIKE the shredder. So yeah, please ‘take me in your arms’. I need you.”
6. Roosevelt – ‘Forgive (feat. Washed Out)’
“Our minds are adrift in the serenity of this track. Weβre momentarily taken away to driving along the coast along the Pacific. Letβs shred it and move on.”
7. Helios – ‘Nothing It Can’
“This song strips away the typical notions of a song to its bare minimum, and still conveys a range of emotions. Instead of thinking in hooks, chords and bridges, it’s talking in harmonies, textures and order. It reminds us to strip away distractions and focus on the essential bits when weβre creating things.”
8. STRFKR – ‘Open Your Eyes’
“What is the ‘body’? Here weβre entering the realm of the metaphysical, where we can be set free by letting our bodies be taken away.”
9. The Strokes – ‘Someday’
“Time for some nostalgiaβ¦ our mind wanders and reminisces about the good old days as the groove of the shredder beats on. A fun tune to get the final stacks of paper in!”
10. Oops, we accidentally shredded this one.
11. Smashing Pumpkins – ‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’
“So we had to replace #10 with this one. Weβre finally done! What a roller-coaster journey of imagery and emotions we have been through. The music has helped us with our task. Thank you for listening to us, and check out our latest release, ‘Lost Without You’.”
Newton Circus’s ‘Lost Without You’ is out now via Umami Records. Check it out HERE.
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Find Newton Circus’s playlist below.