The Nashville outfit the Paperhead carries the essence of 1960s psychedelic pop within its sonic identity. Three longtime friends established the group in 2009: guitarist and vocalist Ryan Jennings, drummer and vocalist Walker Mimms, along with bassist and vocalist Peter Stringer-Hye. Local performances soon followed, including immersive psychedelic events featuring elaborate light displays. Their debut effort, Focus in on...the Looking Glass, appeared in 2010 as a cassette issued by Infinity Cat. Under the mentorship of Cheap Time's Jeffrey Novak, a revered figure in local guitar pop circles, the musicians prepared their sophomore release before forwarding it to Trouble in Mind. The imprint embraced the material, issuing the self-titled record in 2011 and simultaneously bringing the initial album back into circulation. College commitments prompted a shift in activity, limiting both recording and live appearances to summer intervals. Keyboardist Matt McQueen, an established acquaintance, joined the lineup ahead of the 2012 single "Pictures of Her Demise." Following a pair of national tours, the third album took shape inside Stringer-Hye's garage space. Africa Avenue emerged in late 2014, maintaining the psychedelic core while incorporating touches of country, bossa nova, and German art rock. An extended wait preceded the subsequent full-length, during which Stringer-Hye issued the solo EP Sunday Girls in 2015 and contributed guitar to the alt-country outfit Promised Land Sound. Without McQueen, the remaining members reassembled in Stringer-Hye's garage studio to develop Chew, weaving in Latin and jazz elements with the goal of evoking a gradual scan across a 1960s AM radio dial. Cooper Crain handled mixing duties at Chicago's Minbal Studios, after which Trouble in Mind put out the album in early 2017.
