A noodling guitar lines opens the brightly cathartic "Playground Days" by Carlsbad quartet Paper Days, and it quickly hits you with a radiant glow that’s far more serene than its busy arrangements initially lead you on. The track soars with an anthemic pull, and yet it’s never showy or grandiose – the rthytmic interplay between the band members balances their formidable skill, letting the math-rock guitar lines and jittery drum strokes play together with some breathing space as it builds into an urgent finish; subtle yet all the more alluring for it. "Playground Days" opens their three-track debut EP of the same name, which they just released this week and is now available to stream on their official soundcloud page.
