Alt-rock project from multi-instrumentalist Peter W. Bartash crystalizes a long-term vision through a dynamic new single out Friday, August 28
Peter W. Bartash has been living inside his head for 40 years, looking inward for a series of answers and explanations that would give him brief moments of peace and levity. Along the way, various creative seeds have been planted – an experience that shapes a riff, an event that aligns a drum beat, a situation that manifests in lyricisms – all swirling at high volumes around the Boston musician’s headspace as he remained busy relaying the musical tales of others.
It’s high time for Bartash to tell his own story, capturing a lifetime of moments into a dynamic sound and vision through PPR PPL (pronounced “Paper People”), a cinematic alt-rock band that explores existence through a sonic lens of post-hardcore, shoegaze, and alternative metal, and how the events that shape our lives have no expiration date on when they shall be told, and no aural compass for what they may sound like.
The first chapter in this musical unveiling arrives in PPR PPL’s debut single “Taller Trees,” a seismic dose of anthemic alternative hard rock that’s both potent and progressive, crashing the streams with a soaring disposition on Friday, August 28.
It’s the lead in a series of explosive singles and audio/visual releases culminating in the PPR PPL // 01 EP, featuring six tracks balancing the light and the dark, the heavy and the delicate, the real and imagined, all while tracing the arc of shedding inherited narratives and stepping into a life defined by choice. It’s out on digital and limited-edition vinyl on November 17.
Bartash, operating here under the P. Willem moniker, is perhaps best known for his work in the New England music scene as drummer for psych-rock band The Rupert Selection, and remains behind the scenes as an in-demand session drummer. But PPR PPL is his personal awakening, stepping out from the kit and channeling a lifetime of memories and moments into a decisive musical statement, all filtered through an immersive and emotional project built on live drums, atmosphere, and the enduring friction between who we are and who we’re asked to be.
After decades of looking inward, Bartash and his musical light is now projecting outward.
“Who we are on paper is not who we are in reality — and that we’re all of those parts that we try to hide from,” Bartash says. “Paper People is a commentary on identity in a world that keeps asking us to be flatter than we are. We take on external identities layer after layer as we seek connection, all while losing connection with ourselves. This EP is about the quiet violence of being reduced to a version of yourself, and the journey to becoming who you are within.”
So it’s no surprise that the advent of PPR PPL surfaces through the mountainous display of “Taller Trees,” a symbolic song that traces a lineage through Bartash’s mental rolodex, with the takeaways from those aforementioned moments and experiences morphing into a sonic shape.
Several years ago, he was paying a visit to his childhood home when he noticed something peculiar. Nearly 15 years had passed since the last time he gazed at the house and surrounding property, and in that time, the trees he planted with his father around the age of six had sprouted up and grown to more than 30 feet in the air. A world that once felt vast suddenly seemed small and delicate, and a new kind of seed was planted, this time in his head.
Fast forward however many years later, as he was travelling with his wife on a remote island in eastern Canada, overlooking the northern Atlantic ocean’s subarctic landscape. As the wind howled around him, a guitar riff danced inside his head. Later that night, he sketched out the song, drawing from a timeline of inspiration – the house he first learned to play drums at age 10 after overcoming severe club foot disorder with the aid of surgery and physical therapy; the home that welcomed him back after travelling with a celebrated vocal choir; and the place he’d leave to go to college to become an architect, outlining a parallel life of professional success that quickly outpaced his one in music.
“Something about the expanse of that landscape, the confluence of all these events in my life,” he reflects, “and the fact that it took me 40 years to find a way to express it all hit me at once — when I closed my eyes, the first thing I saw was a memory of that moment in front of my childhood home.”
That snapshot provided the canvas, and Bartash created the layers, like broad brush strokes slowly crafting something impactful, weaving a relatable tale that gave his own sense of self some peace, but also one for others to gravitate towards.
“I’ve had an incredible range of experiences in my life thus far, including some major setbacks and detours,” Bartash says, “and I want this song to be an anthem for people who feel like it is too late, or that they aren’t sure who they are – the answers are within you, and your system has known it all along.”
He adds: “‘Taller Trees’ literally tells the story of stepping out behind the kit and knowing exactly what I want to say – starting with this bouncy drum intro, dropping into a wall of layers, then settling into a gentle melody that quickly soars as the chorus sets in. It’s a little more direct than some of the other songs on the EP, but it made sense that I’d start with a story about what it feels like to stand among all of the seeds you’ve planted, and to realize you’ve got so much story left to write.”
And part of capturing that story is taking advantage of the inspiration when it strikes. It could arrive from something so deeply personal, like a visit to a childhood home, or something so distant as a remote island in a foreign country. It’s not coincidental that those two disparate landscapes came together to inform “Taller Trees” into what it became.
“I spent more than 20 years hiding from a part of myself because it was too painful to carry into the life I’d chosen,” Bartash says. “This record is what happened when I stopped.”
Helping craft this vision is a renowned and notable team both in the studio and in the live band he’s assembling. “Taller Trees,” as well as the entirety of PPR PPL // 01, was written, produced, programmed, and arranged by Bartash, who provides the vocals, drums, programming, and keyboards. The EP was co-produced by the acclaimed Brian Charles and recorded at his Rare Signals studio in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Bartash toils as a session drummer.
Charles also provides guitars while handling the recording, editing, and mixing, while Rare Signals’ Annie Hoffman (Weakened Friends) supplies bass and keys, with engineering by Hoffman and Jamie Rowe (Jesus The Dinosaur). The EP was mastered by Joe Bozzi at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Los Angeles, California, with the stark black and white artwork design by Bartash and photography by Adam Krauth.
“Brian Charles and Annie Hoffman were the first people to ‘coax me out from the shadows’ and their belief in me was the spark that lit this fire,” Bartash says. “It’s hard to describe in words what it’s like to work with them — they’re so genuine, thoughtful, and absolute masters of their craft. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to meet, and learn from, so many insanely talented people — many of whom have become great friends, who are extraordinarily generous with their time, input, and support …surrounding myself with these people has been such a source of excitement and inspiration.”
The sound that played in Bartash’s head for four decades has finally seen the light, and through its final form developed organically, a composite sketch of everything eddying deep within, there is a familiarity with how it plays out through the speakers.
“I knew the quality of sound I was after, and that I wanted it to be heavier and dynamic, but honestly had no idea where it would lead,” Bartash admits. “I started searching for sounds and shapes that made me feel the way I feel when I’m listening to a Thrice record, singing along with a Biffy Clyro chorus, seeing a Deftones show, or sinking into James Blake’s textures.”
With a longer story to tell unfolding over the next few months, as the summer fades into autumn and a rush of childhood memories comes flooding back to us, PPR PPL acts as a vessel for self-discovery and mental exploration. It’s a look inward through fresher eyes, a listen deeper through eager ears, and a sight that feels welcoming in its familiarity but comforting in its newly-shaped definition.
“It’s hard to believe that this long-dormant part of me was coming to life again — at age 40, after welcoming two kids into the world and having put in 70-plus hour work weeks for the past 20 years, at a point in my life where all of these seeds I had planted had surrounded me,” he says.
Now it’s time to unveil a larger vision, and evolve a voice inside one’s head into an amplified story told at maximum volume.
“That journey — discovering yourself again — is extraordinarily challenging, lonely, and painful,” Bartash concludes. “But the life that awaits on the other side, one of intention and freedom, is worth every ounce of effort. So if someone hears these songs and feels like it’s too late, like they missed their chance, like they’re not sure who they are anymore – this record is for them. My story wasn’t finished. Neither is theirs.”
Connect with PPR PPL:
HOMEPAGE . MULTI . INSTAGRAM . FACEBOOK
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‘PPR PPL // 01’ EP Artwork:
Artwork by Peter W. Bartash; photo by Adam Krauth
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‘PPR PPL // 01’ EP Release Calendar:
August 28: ‘Taller Trees’ single
October 2: ‘Ache (Hiraeth)’ single
November 17: PPR PPL // 01 EP
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‘PPR PPL // 01’ EP Production Credits:
Written, produced, programmed and arranged by Peter W. Bartash
Co-produced by Brian Charles
Peter W. Bartash: Vocals, drums, programming, keys (tracks 1 to 5)
Brian Charles: Guitars, recording, editing, mixing
Annie Hoffman: Bass (all tracks), keys (track 5), engineering
Jamie Rowe: Engineering (tracks 1, 2, 4)
Recorded at Rare Signals in Cambridge, MA
Mastered by Joe Bozzi at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Los Angeles, CA
Artwork design by Peter W. Bartash
Photography by Adam Krauth
℗ & © 2026 PPR RCRDS
“Special thanks to Shawn Zuzek, Nick Crescenzo, Sam Bouve, Ryan Ainsworth, Pat Hanlin, Kyle Harris, Alice Malone, Phil Todisco, Tad Bouve, Paul Sullivan, my wife Talia, Alyana and Harlan, my parents and sister, and to the many friends who without hesitation asked to give this a listen.” — Peter W. Bartash
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PPR PPL 2026 bio:
Paper People is the project of P. Willem — a drummer of thirty years stepping to the front for the first time. Immersive alt-rock built on live drums, cinematic atmosphere and industrial weight. The debut EP PPR PPL // 01 arrives November 17, 2026, led by the singles “Taller Trees” and “Ache.”
Paper People is a commentary on identity in a world where who someone is on paper isn’t necessarily who they are. We’re composed of many parts within — and we rush to write our story on the page rather than crafting it from the inside. EP // 01 is about the quiet violence of being reduced to a version of yourself, and the journey to becoming who you are within.
P. Willem is a drummer who stepped to the front. He writes, produces, programs and performs the project’s core elements — building songs from the kit outward, in the way a rhythm section dictates a song’s emotional temperature. The debut EP was captured at Rare Signals in Cambridge, Massachusetts with co-producer and engineer Brian Charles, and mastered by Joe Bozzi at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Los Angeles.
Cinematic atmosphere set against industrial weight — songs that transform from restraint to heaviness and back. PPR PPL //
