The cover art of Natural Born Machine features Lexie Papilion, now professionally known as Heaven Proper, in an all-white suit invoking a regal portrait. Composed, delicate and bordering on cold, it’s a stark contrast to Papilion’s music, which is characterized by soulful unpredictability. It’s also an obvious nod to the name Heaven Proper, which Papilion has described as the ultimate contradiction.

Before Heaven Proper came Bloodboy, Papilion’s punk-adjacent solo project that launched her musical career. Her first EP, Best of Bloodboy, landed her a cult-like following with millions of streams and a spot on all the artists-to-watch lists. Bloodboy seemed primed to become one of LA’s most interesting indie pop outfits; however, after signing with new management, Papilion’s struggle to preserve her vision led her to burnout entirely. She formally announced the end of Bloodboy and her musical career in 2020, left Los Angeles for Joshua Tree and started a very different life.

Though, as Papilion became cemented in this new life, she felt even further alienated from herself. A songwriter and musician since early childhood, it was as if she’d wiped out decades of her life with a magic eraser. She desperately missed getting lost in the creative process. At her husband’s encouragement, she started dabbling again and, as he would soon find out, Papilion isn’t a dabbler. Two months of compulsive writing later (work permitting), Papilion emerged from the vortex with a new vision and enough material for two full-lengths. Enter, Heaven Proper.

After working with many of pop’s heavy-hitting producers during her time as Bloodboy, she hoped to find a producer who would encourage her more experimental side this time around. She partnered with Sonny Diperri (diiv, Julie, Protomartyr) and assembled a band of new and old collaborators. She enlisted Bryan De Leon (Ethel Cain, The Drums) on drums and both Waylon Rector (Dominic Fike, Charli XCX) and Dakota Floeter (Ethel Cain) on guitar and bass. The week before heading into the studio, Papilion brought her stripped down demos to the team and together they explored building a sonic landscape that was bold, raw and even weird at times. They crafted every song to sound different and deliberately leaned on Papilion’s distinct vocal and songwriting style to tie the collection together. “Cowboy-Industrial Complex” starts out softly with just vocals and bass and leads into explosive, screeching guitars. One Lucky Stranger combines rambling vocals, a chugging bass and a Slowdivey outro. Lyrically, Papilion oscillates between highlighting the most beautiful and the ugliest parts of the human experience. Themes of all-consuming love, trust, and altruism are woven in seamlessly with those of anti-establishment, anti-capitalism and anti-imperialism.

The title track, Natural Born Machine, finds Papilion waxing disillusioned. The most upbeat of the lot, it would be easy to confuse for a standard indie-dance number if it wasn’t for lyrics like “I’ve done everything right / Made a couple people proud / Never killed anyone, no I’ve kept that in check / But I don’t know how.” Hyperbolic, of course, but a clear sample of the question all of the songs posit in a way: is this the best humans can do? “The EP is about being both cynical and hopeful. There’s a lot that has been wrong with the world for a long time but I still believe in my heart of hearts that can change” Papilion explains. “I could also be delusional. I kind of hope I find out either way.”

Natural Born Machine EP

I Don't Listen To Anyone (But You) is the first single off of Heaven Proper's new EP, Natural Born Machine. It's a slow build, starting out with intimate, rambly vocals over a delicate acoustic guitar. It gradually builds into a raw, powerful guitar ballad.

The song structure is intentional, meant to symbolize the time, patience and vulnerability it takes to develop implicit trust in someone else. It’s about being stubborn and idealistic and finally finding a person that understands, accepts and validates you.

I Don't Listen To Anyone (But You)

How Does Anyone Get Anything Done When They're In Love? is rambly, cheeky, fuzzy-guitar folk pop. Perfect a night drive in the desert with your weird lover :-)

How Does Anyone Get Anything Done When They're In Love?

cowboy-industrial complex

Natural Born Machine

One Lucky Stranger

Heaven Proper is a new project from singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, Lexie Papilion. Papilion formerly fronted LA-based indie pop band, Bloodboy, before quitting music for five years and leaving LA.

Heaven Proper is a unique mashup of guitar-driven indie pop, rock and folk. It feels like a mature evolution from Bloodboy that highlights Papilion's signatures: raw, dynamic vocals & offbeat, introspective lyrics.