Mountain Climer – “Paper Gowns”
Mountain Climer – “Paper Gowns”
A visceral meditation on mortality, memory, and moving forward
With “Paper Gowns,” Jeremy Climer—under the moniker Mountain Climer—delivers his most haunting and urgent work yet. Released on February 28, 2025, and produced by veteran Paul Mahern (John Mellencamp, The Blake Babies), this single is a powerful glimpse into the emotional terrain Climer continues to mine: grief, redemption, and the fragile beauty of life lived with eyes wide open.
Originally envisioned as a solemn ballad, “Paper Gowns” evolved in the studio under Mahern’s guidance into something more immediate and driving. The result is a striking contrast—Climer’s raw, reflective lyrics set against an instrumental backdrop that pulses with vitality. It’s the musical embodiment of staring mortality in the face and choosing to sing louder.
Featuring an all-star lineup—Heidi Lynne Gluck (bass, piano, backing vocals), Shannon Hayden (cello, electric guitar), Devon Ashley (drums), and David England (lead guitar)—the arrangement builds a cinematic soundscape that recalls the introspective darkness of Nick Cave and the soaring melancholy of The Cure. Shannon’s guitar lines add a glimmer of sweetness to the otherwise weighty themes, lending a layer of accessibility to the emotional depth.
The lyrics meditate on time slipping through fingers, hospitals, and the invisible weight of choices made too late. “Paper gowns” here become a metaphor for vulnerability—those moments when everything we hold dear feels paper-thin.
Recorded largely from Climer’s demos and developed collaboratively in real time, “Paper Gowns” captures a spark of serendipity. “We played like we had been a band for ten years,” Climer recalls, and that chemistry radiates in every bar.
More than just a single, “Paper Gowns” is the emotional cornerstone of Climer’s forthcoming album Before You Turn Out the Lights, now crowdfunding on GiveSendGo. If this track is any indication, the full record promises to be an unflinching, deeply human work of art—full of grace, grit, and haunting beauty.