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We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

What We Started

by Paragon Cause

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $8 CAD  or more

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    This is a limited (1 of 100) 180g Vinyl LP of the album, What We Started

    45RPM printed on a special colored vinyl.

    The album was printed and pressed by Precision Pressing in Ontario, Canada.


    SHIPPING
    - Please note, we do our best to get the best shipping rates, we don't make money off it and usually take a 1$ or 2$ loss. if you want faster, please read below and there are some options. Also, we can not change the price for customs purposes. The other option, come visit us at a show in Ottawa, free shipping!

    Canada - will Ship via Canada Post Expedited Parcel with Tracking Number (for local delivery, please contact us).

    USA - Two Options
    Standard: Shipped via Tracked Package with Tracking Number (5-7 Business days)
    Expedited: (Please add 3 dollars to your payment and indicate Expedited) 2-5 Business days

    United Kingdom/Europe
    Standard (Untracked) - 5-12 business Days
    AIR MAIL (Tracked) - 5-10 business days PLEASE ADD $25.00 CND to your payment if you would like a tracked package.
    - If you choose standard shipping, there is no insurance on the shipment and it is not tracked, sadly, once it is sent we can not be responsible for damage or loss. We promise, we do our best to ship safely, but without tracked shipment we can not control what happens.

    Includes unlimited streaming of What We Started via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ... more
    ships out within 3 days
    edition of 100 

      $25 CAD or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    We are offering a special, limited of 20 Sets of the new album, What We Started

    Included in the Order
    1) Limited Edition Vinyl 180g pressing on super cool color vinyl signed by the band
    2) Soft Cover print of "Lost Cause" the Graphic Novel signed by The Band. Story by Jay Bonaparte, written by Jay and Michelle.
    3)Special Liner Notes
    4) Some stickers/buttons and cools stuff we'll toss in
    5) Musician Ear Plugs for Live Shows

    ABOUT THE VINYL
    This is a limited (1 of 100) 180g Vinyl LP of the album, What We Started

    45RPM printed on a special colored vinyl.

    The album was printed and pressed by Precision Pressing in Ontario, Canada.


    ABOUT SHIPPING
    - Please note, we do our best to get the best shipping rates, we don't make money off it and usually take a 1$ or 2$ loss. if you want faster, please read below and there are some options. Also, we can not change the price for customs purposes. The other option, come visit us at a show in Ottawa, free shipping!

    Canada - will Ship via Canada Post Expedited Parcel with Tracking Number (for local delivery, please contact us).

    USA - Two Options
    Standard: Shipped via Tracked Package with Tracking Number (5-7 Business days)
    Expedited: (Please add 3 dollars to your payment and indicate Expedited) 2-5 Business days

    United Kingdom/Europe
    Standard (Untracked) - 5-12 business Days
    AIR MAIL (Tracked) - 5-10 business days PLEASE ADD $20.00 CND to your payment if you would like a tracked package.
    - If you choose standard shipping, there is no insurance on the shipment and it is not tracked, sadly, once it is sent we can not be responsible for damage or loss. We promise, we do our best to ship safely, but without tracked shipment we can not control what happens.

    Includes digital What We Started. The moment the album is released you’ll get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more

    Includes unlimited streaming of What We Started via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ... more
    ships out within 3 days
    edition of 20 

      $50 CAD or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    This is the original test pressing of the album, only 1 of 3 available and we will sell two of them.

    Included in the package
    1) Original test pressing, signed by the band
    2) Limited Edition Signed Copy of What We Started Vinyl
    3) CD Version of What We Started
    4) Full Color Graphic Novel, Story by Jay Bonaparte, Written by Jay and Michelle (Signed)
    5) High Resolution Print of Art for What We Started, Signed
    6) High Quality vinyl Sleeve (2)
    7) Buttons/Stickers
    8) If you want, a private little performance of songs off the album via Facebook Live/Youtube Live/Skype

    ABOUT SHIPPING
    - Please note, we do our best to get the best shipping rates, we don't make money off it and usually take a 1$ or 2$ loss. if you want faster, please read below and there are some options. Also, we can not change the price for customs purposes. The other option, come visit us at a show in Ottawa, free shipping!

    Canada - will Ship via Canada Post Expedited Parcel with Tracking Number (for local delivery, please contact us).

    USA - Two Options
    Standard: Shipped via Tracked Package with Tracking Number (5-7 Business days)
    Expedited: (Please add 3 dollars to your payment and indicate Expedited) 2-5 Business days

    United Kingdom/Europe
    Standard (Untracked) - 5-12 business Days
    AIR MAIL (Tracked) - 5-10 business days PLEASE ADD $20.00 CND to your payment if you would like a tracked package.

    Includes unlimited streaming of What We Started via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ... more
    ships out within 3 days
    edition of 2  1 remaining

      $200 CAD or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Please note, this is the same Vinyl as above but for local Ottawa Pick-up

    You can pick it up anytime!

    Includes unlimited streaming of What We Started via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 7 days
    edition of 100 

      $22 CAD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    This is high quality CD transfer of the album, Direct from the Master's by Joe LaPorta.

    A CD Digipack has a spine and full front/back and opens to reveal the CD inside. There is no jewel case.

    Includes unlimited streaming of What We Started via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    edition of 100 

      $10 CAD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    This is the special edition box set of the album What We Started.
    Included in this is
    1) CD Digipack signed
    2) Graphic Novel of What We Started

    Includes unlimited streaming of What We Started via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    edition of 30 

      $30 CAD or more 

     

  • Cassette + Digital Album

    This is a rare, European Print of our album, What We Started, On cassette. It includes extra songs and remixes by Nature of Wires and The Cowls. These songs are not available in North America.

    SIgned and Numberd by the band
    Includes stickers and some treats

    Includes unlimited streaming of What We Started via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    edition of 4 

      $35 CAD or more 

     

1.
You’ve taken more than your fair share It doesn’t seem to bother you You can’t see what you refuse to Crushing souls to replace things you’ve lost Crushing souls to replace things you’ve lost You don’t know what I’ve been through It doesn’t seem to bother you You keep coming move along Crushing souls to replace things you’ve lost Crushing souls to replace things you’ve lost The damage is done The scars remain you should have to pay More than them But the scars remain you should have to pay More than them You’re a lost cause You’re a lost cause Taken more than what is fair It doesn’t seem to bother you You can’t see what you refuse to Crushing souls Crushing souls to replace the things that you lost The scars remain you should have to pay More than them The scars remain you should have to pay More than them You’re a lost cause You mean nothing You’re a lost cause You mean nothing You're a lost cause You mean nothing
2.
Try to see past your obsession If you were faced with your possessions Please just take a few steps back And don’t forget to always question Don’t forget you have to question Is it real Is it real My eyes are tempted by an Angel Whose silent prayer will feed desire You call me and I will answer Forever desire what is denied I desired what is Denied Is it Real It is Real Do it Now Do It Now Please Do It Do it Now Do It Now Please Do It My Eyes are Tempted By an Angel
3.
Your words to me leave to much to interpret and so I’m lost It just feels so good to feel nothing just sometimes (just sometimes) I can’t be found Can’t be found Don’t ask the questions you don’t want the answers Don’t ask the questions you don’t want the answers to You say you want the biggest piece Can you play fair Just tell me this just stay in this Before I’m lost Don’t ask the questions you don’t want the answers Don’t ask the questions you don’t want the answers to All these memories I can’t do this now I’m not ready for this new unknown And I’m breaking down Don’t ask the questions you don’t want the answers Don’t ask the questions just try try try Try something new Just try something new Just try something Just try something new
4.
Give it a Chance Tell Me how it feels Tell me again how it feels It’s the only thing that ever real And I will try As you try yourself With someone new
5.
Without You 03:09
It’s no surprise it should happen in the morning I’m always at my best Got no time for bitter thoughts to creep and cloud I’m always at my best I’m crazy for all the right reasons So let me be Please let me be It took you to make me see It was worth it It took you to make me see Let me be Crazy enough to run away Skip Ahead to the Future It took you to make me see That it was worth it It took you to make me see Let me be ME I'm better off without you Better off without you Better off without you Better off without you
6.
7.
Fantasize 03:28
You see me far from where I’m going to be Not stuck in where I’ve been Find a new way to break me Take me with you I can pull too Forever finding new ways To amaze Keeps me going For a debt unpaid Makes me stay I’m in a daze This haze of normality The writings on the wall Still don’t wanna fall I fantasize about leaving you And I dream of leaving My first look at time You can read nothing of my expression Cuz if you knew my thoughts and plans How I know you’d change Just for a little while Take my leave and wait For the perfect time Forever finding new ways To escape It keeps me going Push the pain away I’m in a daze I’m in a haze A haze of normality The writings on the wall Still don’t wanna fall
8.
Harder and harder but still forced Can’t let it get to me but it’s in my head I’m the master of my thoughts But I dream of using force This could be more than I This could be more than I can handle Farther and farther your pushing Can’t let it get to me but it’s too far My priceless treasure Now is the time for action Now is the time for action I dream of using force You’ve gone too far My priceless treasure I won't rest Till your behind us I won't rest I won't rest
9.
All these things keep adding up They give way To something never earned So completely undeserved Come so far But it’s not enough This lack of action It makes me sick Speaking out did nothing Speaking up does nothing Will you get what you deserve? Will you get what you deserve? Will you get what you deserve? Will you get what you deserve? I would do anything I would do anything To see you suffer To see you suffer To see you suffer
10.
Let Me Be 02:52
11.
You’ve taken more than your fair share It doesn’t seem to bother you You can’t see what you refuse to Crushing souls to replace things you’ve lost Crushing souls to replace things you’ve lost You don’t know what I’ve been through It doesn’t seem to bother you You keep coming move along Crushing souls to replace things you’ve lost Crushing souls to replace things you’ve lost The damage is done The scars remain you should have to pay More than them But the scars remain you should have to pay More than them You’re a lost cause You’re a lost cause Taken more than what is fair It doesn’t seem to bother you You can’t see what you refuse to Crushing souls Crushing souls to replace the things that you lost The scars remain you should have to pay More than them The scars remain you should have to pay More than them You’re a lost cause You mean nothing You’re a lost cause You mean nothing You're a lost cause You mean nothing

about

When creativity meets talent, drive, and encouragement from a valued mentor, the results can be spectacularly successful and incredibly fulfilling.

Ottawa-based ethereal alternative/electro-pop duo Paragon Cause are such a case, as their new full-length album, What We Started, is a powerfully bold statement by a band that is brimming with confidence and artistic zeal.

Coming less than a year after the release of their EP Lies Between Us, it sees the dynamic musical duo of Michelle Opthof and Jay Bonaparte reunite with producer/songwriter Sune Rose Wagner, a Danish pop music legend, best known for his band The Raveonettes. Together, over an intensive and intensely collaborative session in the fall of 2019, they composed, arranged and produced an collection of 10 exceptional new songs, that highlight the magical way Paragon Cause have evolved as artists, developing a style and sound that is imbued with emotional darkness, light and plenty of shades of grey.

Wagner had been a long-time idol of both Opthof and Bonaparte, but this time around, they were less star-struck and approached the sessions that would lead to What We Started with a heightened level of confidence and focus in their own abilities, seeing Wagner now as more of a valued senior collaborator.
“The first session, that led to last year’s EP, we didn’t feel as open and free because we were getting to know each other, we were learning how to work and collaborate together. For the new album, we were a lot looser, there was better communication and I think we all felt a lot more comfortable interacting with each other. This time he was a more active creative collaborator, as opposed to being a producer overseeing everything. It was like he became like a third member of the band,” said Bonaparte.

“For me, I found Sune was able to pull the best performances and the best ideas out of us this time around because we were a lot more open and he was also allowing us so much freedom to explore our ideas. He has this amazing way of boosting your confidence, and so I went into the process for this new album feeling so fresh and empowered,” added Opthos, who is the band’s lyricist and usually sets the melodic tone for each song.

While Lies Between Us was an excellent release in its own right, both members of Paragon Cause believe they have stepped up their compositional skills, their desire to be more experimental and their thematic focus to an all-new level with What We Started. The songs are infused with a sense of urgency, an unmistakable heightened level of energy and fire – a delightfully jagged edge that comes from an open and spontaneous songwriting process.
“Most of the songs were written and recorded that same day or the day before, and all of them were based on just one little idea that we ran with. So, this album is very spontaneous, that’s why there is a lot of energy. Songs like “See You Suffer” and “Time for Action” were literally written the night before we recorded them,” Bonaparte explained.

“This album was an amazing exercise in pure creativity which, we think, is what this album represents as a statement of who we are as a band – no second-guessing, following our inspiration, not being afraid to be who we are and say what we needed to say. Even though the album sounds very produced, it all happened very quickly because we wanted to capture that powerful vibe, and not worry too much about doing 100 takes, looking for perfection,” added Opthof

The first single for the album, Lost Cause, is the perfect example of this edgy and more instinctive approach to writing, as it began with Opthof noodling around on a piano, while Wagner and Bonaparte were out of the studio. They returned and encouraged her to keep developing the unique riff into a full composition. She later added parts of lyrics that she had rolling around in her head for some time, brought a powerfully compelling melody into the mix and a potential hit was born.

“It’s a song about the end of a relationship and coming to the conclusion that the other person is a lost cause. Sune loved the song right from the beginning, and once I started working on the lyrics and melody, it just came together super fast after that. I guess I was just in a mood,” Opthof said with a chuckle.

Thematically and sonically, Paragon Cause’s form of pop music is expressive, but often of emotions and experiences that lean towards the darker, grittier and less rose-tinted version of the human experience. Opthof admits that writing is a way for her to process and expunge her darker thoughts, and express sentiments that may not always be happy, but are ones that most people can identify with – exactly the purpose of good art.

“I feel like the album represents an evolution of understanding your place in the world and how much you can restrain yourself and how much you can get away with, how you respect yourself. A lot of it comes from what was going on in the news at the time and the incorporating my own experiences,” she explained, adding that the songs “Time For Action” and “See You Suffer” were her own interpretations of what she saw on the news and what was happening in the world, through her own distinctive lens.

The freedom exhibited by Paragon Cause and Wagner bore wonderful fruit with the song Silent Prayer, a more experimental track that features a more obviously modern pop vibe, to go along with Opthof’s moody storytelling.

“We felt so much freer to try different things on this album and it led to some wonderful surprises. With Silent Prayer, we said, ‘let’s try to make a song with loops.’ Michelle played a little piano line and we started looping it and experimented with other sounds and bringing in different genres like electronica and hip-hop into the production. The three of us have very diverse influences and for this new album, we weren’t afraid to bring those into the recording. There were times when we tried something really bizarre and when we listened to it back the next day were like, ‘ah, I think we went a little too far,’ but we were okay doing that. We got some amazing ideas out of that process,” said Bonaparte.

Paragon Cause is also exploring a cutting edge way to bring their music to the masses. As well as performing live in clubs and other concert venues, they have also started streaming performances live on YouTube and Facebook.

“The first time we did it, it was just an experiment, but we had Americans watching it, people from Europe and from all parts of Canada – and we didn’t really promote it. But it worked and it was amazing. So, we are going to incorporate that sort of show into our model of promoting our music. We think it’s the way of the future, especially for indie bands, to leverage the technology and the reach of social media,” said Bonaparte.

Music with depth, music that explores the complexities and contradictions of our lives, our experiences and our emotions – this is what Paragon Cause does so well. By enveloping these sentiments and ideas in music that is compelling, memorable, hypnotic and superlatively crafted, there is little doubt that there is still so much more intriguing, enigmatic and potent music yet to come.

credits

released April 17, 2020

Written by Michelle Opthof, Jay Bonaparte and Sune Rose Wagner
Produced by: Sune Rose Wagner and Jay Bonaparte
Mastered by Joe LaPorta at Sterling Sound Studio, NY,NY
Recorded at Neko Studios, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Performed by Michelle Opthof, Jay Bonaparte and Sune Rose Wagner
Vocals: Michelle Opthof and Sune Rose Wagner
Guitar and Bass: Jay Bonaparte
Drums: Sune Rose Wagner
Synthesizer/Keyboads: MIchelle Opthof and Sune Rose Wagner
Effects: Jay Bonaparte and Sune Rose Wagner

1. Lost Cause (Opthof, Bonaparte)
2. Silent Prayer (Opthof, Bonaparte, Wagner)
3. Something New (Opthof, Bonaparte, Wagner
4. Give it a Chance (Opthof, Bonaparte) *produced and mixed by Paragon Cause
5. Without You (Opthof, Bonaparte, Wagner)
6. Master of My Thoughts (Opthof, Bonaparte)*produced and mixed by Paragon Cause
7. Fantasize (Opthof, Bonaparte)
8. Time for Action (Opthof, Bonaparte, Wagner)
9. See you Suffer (Opthof, Bonaparte, Wagner)
10. Let Me Be (Opthof, Bonaparte, Wagner)
11. Lost Cause (Radio Edit)

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about

PARAGON CAUSE Ottawa, Ontario

There are few bands that can conjure up vivid images as well as emotions through the medium of their music. Paragon Cause, Ottawa/Nova Scotia's burgeoning ethereal electro-rock sensation, is one of those rare amalgams of talent who can tug on heartstrings, make one think deeply or simply enjoy a sophisticated yet universally accessible musical experience. ... more

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