Side Show Stereo Gets Intimate With Late-Night Heartache on “Paper Thin”

Some songs hit you immediately. Others slowly seep into your bloodstream, one sleepless night at a time. Side Show Stereo’s latest single, “Paper Thin,” is the latter—a slow-burning indie pop-rock confessional made for late-night drives and even later regrets.

The project of Joshua Dela Rama, Side Show Stereo, has always been about more than just music. It’s therapy, it’s memory, it’s identity. With “Paper Thin,” he doesn’t just sing about longing—he lives in it. The track, with its shimmering guitars and diary-entry honesty, captures the ache of looking back at a love you weren’t ready for until it was too late.

Written in 2018 and only now seeing the light of day, “Paper Thin” chronicles the quiet grief of “the one that got away.” But what makes it cut deeper is how familiar it feels: the endless replay of old conversations, the pit-of-your-stomach ache that creeps in when you're finally alone, the stubborn hope that maybe, just maybe, they still feel it too.

“I don’t know what it is, I’m thinking I miss you,” Dela Rama repeats in the chorus—a deceptively simple line that wraps uncertainty, regret, and emotional paralysis into one gut punch of a lyric. It’s not clever. It’s real. And that’s what makes it powerful.

The instrumentation blends melancholy and movement: dreamy guitar layers glide over punchy tambourine and upbeat percussion, pulling influence from early 2000s emo-pop and modern indie rock alike. Think The Band Camino meets Green Day on a foggy back road in Southern California.

While the song may be rooted in past heartache, the context behind its release adds even more gravity. After losing his father, his first musical mentor, in May 2024, Dela Rama briefly considered walking away from music altogether. But grief didn’t silence him—it amplified his purpose. “Now I use my father as a driving force behind my art,” he says.

“Every release, I play it loud so my dad can hear it up there.” - Side Show Stereo

“Paper Thin” is the beginning of a new chapter—one where the heartbreak hits deeper, the songwriting hits harder, and the passion is louder than ever. For Dela Rama, this isn't just a release—it's a love letter to what could’ve been, what still hurts, and what keeps him going.

“Paper Thin” was written years ago but only released now. What made you decide this was the right time to share it with the world?

I’m always, always writing. Whenever inspiration strikes, I’ll drop what I’m doing because it’s like an itch that won’t stop, haha. So I've written a ton of songs that I haven’t recorded. But once in a while, I’ll revisit a song and be like “hey, this is pretty good!” and decide to record it right then. Especially because I felt like Paper Thin’s sound, despite being written years ago, is in line with the direction of where I want to take Side Show Stereo. So it felt like a pretty good time to release it now.

You’ve said your dad was the reason you became a musician. How has your relationship with music changed since his passing, and how does it show up in this release?

Since his passing, this has been the most driven and motivated I’ve ever felt. In music and in life in general. He’s lit a fire under me, and I want to honor him through my music. It does get tough at times because my dad introduced me to so many bands that I love, so I think of him when their songs are playing. But I’ve learned not to shy away from sadness. I’ll be sad at first, then remember I feel this way because my dad was such a big, important part of my life, and it’s a blessing to have had a dad like him. That initial sadness turns to a positive emotion, one of gratitude. Happy tears. I think Paper Thin is a great reflection of my relationship with music and my dad because he loves a melodic-driven song just like I do (definitely where I got it from), and Paper Thin, in both the vocals and the guitars, emphasizes melody. I think my dad would’ve really liked this song.

The song’s vibe is emotionally heavy, but the beat is upbeat, almost nostalgic. How do you approach balancing sad lyrics with energetic production?

When I write songs, it almost always starts off on the acoustic guitar. Then I’ll have an initial general idea of how I want it to sound. And oftentimes, my direction for the song changes throughout the recording process. I love the recording process because I start with a blank canvas, and the possibilities are endless. The initial version of Paper Thin had a slower tempo and leaned towards the R&B /soul sound. Then I experimented with the beats, added the hi-hats and tambourine, sped it up a bit, and voila, the current version. I’m stoked with how it turned out! I also love the duality of having not-so-happy lyrics with upbeat music or vice versa. I think it’s another fun way of expressing artistic liberty and subverting expectations. There are no rules in music, and that’s a pretty sick part about art as a whole.

Your lyrics often read like journal entries. How do you maintain that vulnerability in your songwriting without holding back?

I find it so much easier writing songs when I’m honest with myself, so maintaining that level of vulnerability isn’t much of a problem for me. When I struggle with writing or finishing a song, I like to ask myself, am I holding back, and at times that’ll be the case. I'll tell myself, "Let go, let it flow." A rule of thumb I’ve been following is that if I’m not cringing at my own lyrics, I’m not being honest enough. I’m a very big mental health advocate and improving the societal discourse around it. I go to therapy, journal, and mindfulness meditation, so being vulnerable and honest with myself has gotten easier throughout the years.

With more releases coming in 2025, how do you feel your sound—and your story—are evolving? What can fans expect next from Side Show Stereo?

Without spoiling too much, my listeners can expect a new and revamped Side Show Stereo coming throughout 2025! My upcoming releases pull from various other genres, styles, and sounds, all the while staying true to my foundation: honest lyrics driven by melodies. I feel I'm constantly getting better in my craft, in my playing and recording, but most especially in my writing. I want to tell my story in a way that only I can, and I hope my listeners can resonate with my words. Subject matters covered in my upcoming songs include dealing with grief, finding inner peace, and stoking the ever-growing fire inside me, among other topics important to me. Lastly, I'll say my best work is yet to come, and I hope my listeners are just as excited as I am. Stay tuned!