Olina’s “Newspaper Odor” is a fiery, sharp-tongued indie rock anthem of sophistication absurdity, cultural dislocation, and first-generation imposter syndrome — a scream you possibly can dance to whereas the world burns quietly round you.
Stream: “Newspaper Odor” – Olina
Does it matter what I do? I’m not a nihilist, however I see the enchantment in it…
* * *
Sarcastic and seething, sharp and self-aware, Olina’s first single of the 12 months hits like a visceral panic spiral –
– a cathartic, cheeky launch of immigrant grit and existential dread wrapped in a gutsy, glistening indie rock package deal. As churning as it’s charming, “Newspaper Odor” is each a scream and a smirk; a feral, emotionally charged coming-of-age anthem that channels class absurdity, identification crises, and first-gen imposter syndrome right into a punchy, unfiltered outburst of musical defiance.
Nothing’s acquainted right here
However the newspaper scent
and cigarettes, espresso
I swallow to cheat feeling homesick
However my mind’s too cussed for it
It received’t repeat the story
So I received a level like daughter
However spent my summer time
hosing down wealthy guys’ vomit
Even that paper
couldn’t make me really feel expert
Are they elevating cash
or is that this only a feast?
I can’t see it but,
what am I profitable?
Does it matter what I do?
I’m not a nihilist however I see the enchantment in it
Doesn’t matter what you say
I’ll nonetheless be panicking ‘trigger I really feel non permanent
Atwood Journal is proud to be premiering “Newspaper Odor,” the unapologetic and unforgettable lead single off Olina’s upcoming debut EP, By the Guide, due out later this 12 months. Following her genre-blending work with rock-fusion band The Zaramutas and years spent constructing a beloved handmade jewellery model (@drool_jewel – worn by artists like Tyla and Maiah Manser, and featured within the NYT), the London-via-Greece singer/songwriter dives headfirst into her personal uncooked, raucous world – and “Newspaper Odor” is the messy, magnificent introduction it deserves.

“I wrote ‘Newspaper Odor’ after a summer time working Royal Ascot – serving drunk males in prime hats who bragged about their fortunes, haggled over a £7 mac ’n’ cheese, and left behind bins stuffed with vomit I needed to clear the following morning,” Olina tells Atwood Journal. “That weird collision of sophistication efficiency, invisible labor, and surreal wealth caught with me. Although I had a biology diploma, my imposter syndrome – amplified by being a first-gen immigrant in a ‘extra developed’ nation – satisfied me I wouldn’t be ok for a science job right here. So I took low-paid, thankless work as an alternative. You spend years simply making an attempt to regulate, and once you lastly search for, everybody else appears thus far forward.”
“This music is about identification, existential dread, and sophistication efficiency – but it surely’s coated in sarcasm as a result of for me that seems like taking again management, turning frustration into one thing sharp and empowering, a kind of first-gen imposter syndrome fever dream. I needed it to really feel like dancing in a room that’s quietly on hearth!”
That quote says all of it – and Olina delivers. “Newspaper Odor” is pressing, dramatic, and dynamically unstable: a simmering pot of biting lyrics and angular guitars, careening between cheeky chaos and clear-eyed catharsis. Her voice walks the road between shout and smirk, urgency and exhaustion. This isn’t quiet desperation; it’s the sound of survival with eyeliner smudged and center finger raised.
My head cheats on my blood and received’t translate my ideas
All however the numbers, so I depend down ‘til I’m calm
However they’re drunk ‘trigger it’s sunny, carrying birds on their hats
They may purchase the entire meals truck however discount seven kilos
And I reached the longer term too quickly, I’m misfired
A shading, no define, no birthday shock
No plans for the day, all days deliberate forward
A miracle employee, all targets nonetheless unchecked
I can’t see it but, however I’m prepared, I’m prepared
I can’t really feel it but, however that is the start
I can’t see it but however I’m profitable…
“The melody got here to me on the bus going house from work, after ending 1984 — yeah, I do know it’s a cliché, however I hadn’t learn it earlier than due to that, and I’m actually glad I lastly did,” she shares. “It in all probability planted a few of that dystopian, questioning vibe in my head. I stored buzzing it so I wouldn’t overlook it till I received off and will file it. I then instantly completed it, created a demo, and introduced it to my buddy, producer, and bandmate Christos Chatzispyrou, whose outrageous expertise helped carry the imaginative and prescient to life. The entire course of was extremely easy — like two worlds colliding — which doesn’t occur typically, however when it does, it’s extremely rewarding.”

So I received a level like daughter, however spent my summer time hosing down wealthy man’s vomit…
Along with her sharp wit and post-punk edge, Olina brings to thoughts the uncooked storytelling of Blondshell and the lyrical chunk of Courtney Barnett.
But she stands squarely in her personal lane: A fierce, emotionally uncovered voice writing from the messy intersections of sophistication, tradition, and coming-of-age. The title itself references the one acquainted consolation – the scent of newspapers – in an in any other case alien, unsure panorama.
“That collision of sophistication absurdity and immigrant imposter syndrome drove this music’s biting indie rock edge and lyrical dread,” Olina explains. And you are feeling it in each beat – from the dizzy, unspooling verses to the repeated spiral of “I’m profitable, I’m profitable, I’m profitable…” that closes the observe like a breakdown and a breakthrough .
Shot and edited by Olina herself, with no prior expertise, the DIY “Newspaper Odor” music video expands on the music’s surrealist stress, enjoying like a barely comical spiral on a stroll from Holloway to Hampstead Heath
“Shot in grainy ‘90s model, it follows me speeding to a job interview for a “Countdown Specialist” – somebody tasked with counting down the minutes till the world is sensible once more,” she explains. “Alongside the best way, unusual job advertisements seem, together with one which lands my entire head in a birdcage prime hat, trapped in a loop of status-chasing and absurd expectations. Visually, I drew from the whimsy-meets-chaos vitality of Alice in Wonderland, Girl Chicken, Skins, and early Wes Anderson – desirous to create a world the place issues really feel absurdly curated but quietly unravelling. Just like the music, it’s upbeat on the floor however pushed by quiet dread: A type of laugh-while-you-panic vitality.”
To Olina, the music video – with its mix of classic dreamy cinematography and kitchen-sink realism – is meant to echo the sensation of being “in between locations” – mentally, culturally, and geographically. “[It] took extra effort and time than the music itself, since I had no expertise and needed to be taught every little thing on YouTube,” she provides. “My boyfriend and I filmed it ourselves over two days; he even performs the highest hat-wearing man. Then I spent a couple of month educating myself video modifying and color grading. I’m actually proud of the way it turned out; it feels prefer it builds an entire world across the music.”

In the end, “Newspaper Odor” is about survival within the in-between.
About working arduous, feeling misplaced, and laughing by the tears. It’s not only a critique – it’s a coping mechanism. And it sounds unimaginable.
Watch the surreal, self-made music video and stream “Newspaper Odor” solely on Atwood Journal. Olina’s debut EP By the Guide is due out later this 12 months.
Does it matter what I do?
I’m not a nihilist however I see the enchantment in it
Doesn’t matter what you say
I’ll nonetheless be panicking ‘trigger I really feel non permanent
Does it matter what I do?
I’m not a nihilist however I see the enchantment in it
Doesn’t matter what you say
I’ll nonetheless be panicking
— —
:: stream/buy Newspaper Odor right here ::
:: join with Olina right here ::
— —
Stream: “Newspaper Odor” – Olina
— — — —
Connect with Olina on
TikTok, Instagram
Uncover new music on Atwood Journal
© Loreta Story
:: Stream Olina ::