With its moody progressions and strange, melancholic lyrics, You Can Have What You Want is certainly darker and more otherworldly than its 2007 predecessor. In the very opening lines, Jason Quever, the driving force behind Papercuts, refers to Earth as a "distant dream," which establishes a pervading ethereal mood that is a perfect match for Quever's hazy, melodic vocals and the distantly dreamy instrumentation.
The lyrics in You Can Have What You Want are minimal and unconventional. Instead of folding in around a repeating chorus, the lyrics are linear and resemble more of a continuous stream of consciousness with an emphasis on narration, confession, and exploration. "A Peculiar Hallelujah," for instance, describes "people in a religious fervor jumping out into space shouting 'Halleljuh!'" and "The Machine Will Tell Us So," a sick sci-fi experiment conducted by the state to ascertain whether or not there is "bliss beyond death." But The Twilight Zone isn't the only thing that inspired these darkly bizarre lyrics. Quever, who lived in a commune until age ten, cites both childhood memories and recent experiences as major sources of influence for You Can Have What You Want.
Notably, Alex Scally of the Baltimore group Beach House and drummer Graham Hill also lend their talents to You Can Have What You Want.
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