Olina’s “Newspaper Smell” is a fiery, sharp-tongued indie rock anthem of class absurdity, cultural dislocation, and first-generation imposter syndrome — a scream you can dance to while the world burns quietly around you.
Stream: “Newspaper Smell” – Olina
Does it matter what I do? I’m not a nihilist, but I see the appeal in it…
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Sarcastic and seething, sharp and self-aware, Olina’s first single of the year hits like a visceral panic spiral –
– a cathartic, cheeky release of immigrant grit and existential dread wrapped in a gutsy, glistening indie rock package. As churning as it is charming, “Newspaper Smell” is both a scream and a smirk; a feral, emotionally charged coming-of-age anthem that channels class absurdity, identity crises, and first-gen imposter syndrome into a punchy, unfiltered outburst of musical defiance.
Nothing’s familiar here
But the newspaper smell
and cigarettes, coffee
I swallow to cheat feeling homesick
But my brain’s too stubborn for it
It won’t repeat the story
So I got a degree like a good daughter
But spent my summer
hosing down rich guys’ vomit
Even that paper
couldn’t make me feel skilled
Are they raising money
or is this just a feast?
I can’t see it yet,
what am I winning?
Does it matter what I do?
I’m not a nihilist but I see the appeal in it
Doesn’t matter what you say
I’ll still be panicking ‘cause I feel temporary
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Newspaper Smell,” the unapologetic and unforgettable lead single off Olina’s upcoming debut EP, By the Book, due out later this year. Following her genre-blending work with rock-fusion band The Zaramutas and years spent building a beloved handmade jewelry brand (@drool_jewel – worn by artists like Tyla and Maiah Manser, and featured in the NYT), the London-via-Greece singer/songwriter dives headfirst into her own raw, raucous world – and “Newspaper Smell” is the messy, magnificent introduction it deserves.
“I wrote ‘Newspaper Smell’ after a summer working Royal Ascot – serving drunk men in top hats who bragged about their fortunes, haggled over a £7 mac ’n’ cheese, and left behind bins full of vomit I had to clean the next morning,” Olina tells Atwood Magazine. “That bizarre collision of class performance, invisible labor, and surreal wealth stuck with me. Though I had a biology degree, my imposter syndrome – amplified by being a first-gen immigrant in a ‘more developed’ country – convinced me I wouldn’t be good enough for a science job here. So I took low-paid, thankless work instead. You spend years just trying to adjust, and when you finally look up, everyone else seems so far ahead.”
“This song is about identity, existential dread, and class performance – but it’s coated in sarcasm because for me that feels like taking back control, turning frustration into something sharp and empowering, a sort of first-gen imposter syndrome fever dream. I wanted it to feel like dancing in a room that’s quietly on fire!”
That quote says it all – and Olina delivers. “Newspaper Smell” is urgent, dramatic, and dynamically volatile: a simmering pot of biting lyrics and angular guitars, careening between cheeky chaos and clear-eyed catharsis. Her voice walks the line between shout and smirk, urgency and exhaustion. This isn’t quiet desperation; it’s the sound of survival with eyeliner smudged and middle finger raised.
My head cheats on my blood and won’t translate my thoughts
All but the numbers, so I count down ‘til I’m calm
But they’re drunk ‘cause it’s sunny, wearing birds on their hats
They could buy the whole food truck but bargain seven pounds
And I reached the future too soon, I’m misfired
A shading, no outline, no birthday surprise
No plans for the day, all days planned ahead
A miracle worker, all goals still unchecked
I can’t see it yet, but I am willing, I’m willing
I can’t feel it yet, but this is the beginning
I can’t see it yet but I’m winning…
“The melody came to me on the bus going home from work, after finishing 1984 — yeah, I know it’s a cliché, but I hadn’t read it before because of that, and I’m really glad I finally did,” she shares. “It probably planted some of that dystopian, questioning vibe in my head. I kept humming it so I wouldn’t forget it until I got off and could record it. I then immediately finished it, created a demo, and brought it to my friend, producer, and bandmate Christos Chatzispyrou, whose outrageous skills helped bring the vision to life. The whole process was incredibly smooth — like two worlds colliding — which doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s incredibly rewarding.”
So I got a degree like a good daughter, but spent my summer hosing down rich guy’s vomit…
With her sharp wit and post-punk edge, Olina brings to mind the raw storytelling of Blondshell and the lyrical bite of Courtney Barnett.
Yet she stands squarely in her own lane: A fierce, emotionally exposed voice writing from the messy intersections of class, culture, and coming-of-age. The title itself references the one familiar comfort – the smell of newspapers – in an otherwise alien, uncertain landscape.
“That collision of class absurdity and immigrant imposter syndrome drove this song’s biting indie rock edge and lyrical dread,” Olina explains. And you feel it in every beat – from the dizzy, unspooling verses to the repeated spiral of “I’m winning, I’m winning, I’m winning…” that closes the track like a breakdown and a breakthrough all at once.
Shot and edited by Olina herself, with no prior experience, the DIY “Newspaper Smell” music video expands on the song’s surrealist tension, playing like a slightly comical spiral on a walk from Holloway to Hampstead Heath
“Shot in grainy ‘90s style, it follows me rushing to a job interview for a “Countdown Specialist” – someone tasked with counting down the minutes until the world makes sense again,” she explains. “Along the way, strange job ads appear, including one that lands my whole head in a birdcage top hat, trapped in a loop of status-chasing and absurd expectations. Visually, I drew from the whimsy-meets-chaos energy of Alice in Wonderland, Lady Bird, Skins, and early Wes Anderson – wanting to create a world where things feel absurdly curated yet quietly unravelling. Like the song, it’s upbeat on the surface but driven by quiet dread: A kind of laugh-while-you-panic energy.”
To Olina, the music video – with its blend of vintage dreamy cinematography and kitchen-sink realism – is intended to echo the feeling of being “in between places” – mentally, culturally, and geographically. “[It] took more time and effort than the song itself, since I had no experience and had to learn everything on YouTube,” she adds. “My boyfriend and I filmed it ourselves over two days; he even plays the top hat-wearing man. Then I spent about a month teaching myself video editing and colour grading. I’m really happy with how it turned out; it feels like it builds a complete world around the song.”
Ultimately, “Newspaper Smell” is about survival in the in-between.
About working hard, feeling lost, and laughing through the tears. It’s not just a critique – it’s a coping mechanism. And it sounds incredible.
Watch the surreal, self-made music video and stream “Newspaper Smell” exclusively on Atwood Magazine. Olina’s debut EP By the Book is due out later this year.
Does it matter what I do?
I’m not a nihilist but I see the appeal in it
Doesn’t matter what you say
I’ll still be panicking ‘cause I feel temporary
Does it matter what I do?
I’m not a nihilist but I see the appeal in it
Doesn’t matter what you say
I’ll still be panicking
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:: stream/purchase Newspaper Smell here ::
:: connect with Olina here ::
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Stream: “Newspaper Smell” – Olina
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