There are songs designed to entertain, and there are songs designed to quietly stay with people afterwards.
“Paper Lion”, the upcoming signature track from Riley Via’s autumn album, was built very deliberately to do both.
Written and produced by Mark Nolan alongside the Mad Black Cat creative team, the song explores an increasingly common modern reality: the emotional exhaustion carried by people perceived as “the strong ones”.
The concept originated from a discussion about how society often rewards resilience while simultaneously overlooking the emotional wellbeing of resilient people themselves.
The metaphor eventually became:
“A paper lion in the rain.”
Visually and emotionally, it perfectly captured the contradiction:
strength in appearance, fragility underneath.
From a production perspective, the decision was made very early to avoid contemporary overproduction and instead lean into a slow cinematic big band arrangement. The result combines:
- orchestral brass swells
- brushed jazz percussion
- upright bass
- sparse piano
- restrained dynamics
- and an intentionally intimate vocal performance from Riley
The arrangement mirrors emotional fatigue itself.
The track spends much of its runtime holding emotional weight rather than immediately releasing it. This allows the eventual orchestral crescendo to feel less like a musical climax and more like emotional decompression.
Particular attention was also paid to lyrical imagery.
Rather than approaching mental health messaging directly, the writing uses metaphor and observational storytelling:
- “Everyone loves the roar, but nobody checks the cage”
- “You just smile and adjust my crown”
- “It’s okay to park the car”
The intention was to create something emotionally recognisable without sounding instructional or campaign-driven.
That subtlety is important.
People rarely connect with being lectured.
They do connect with feeling understood.
The preview release during Mental Health Awareness Week was intentional, despite the full album arriving in autumn. The song’s themes aligned naturally with wider conversations around emotional wellbeing, burnout, hidden struggles, and the pressure often placed upon dependable people.
The accompanying “Paper Lion” t-shirt has also become part of the wider identity surrounding the release, symbolically carrying the phrase:
“Check on your heroes.”
It is not positioned as merchandise alone, but as a wearable reminder of the song’s core message.
Because sometimes the people carrying everyone else are the very people nobody thinks to ask about.
And sometimes strength is simply the ability to keep roaring while quietly dissolving in the rain.
– Mark Nolan
Writer and Producer
Mad Black Cat
For the “Paper Lion” shirt and upcoming album updates, visit RileyVia.com
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