Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animals

Since having huge success with Light Up Gold in 2012, there’s been a few more pairs of ears listening to what Parquet Courts create. When they announced their new album Sunbathing Animals would be released, the expectation was set and everybody was waiting for them to return to the heights they reached in 2012. Frontman Andrew Savage stated this was the first time the band has accrued an audience, and the band had to make themselves clear now they had people paying attention. So the band knew that there were more eyes gathered around this record, which made it denser explained Savage.

‘Bodies’ is the ideal start to the album. It captures everything great about Parquet Courts, as it has lo-fi sound with an infectious riff coated all over it (traits you’d find on Light Up Gold). ‘Black And White’ follows suit until it turns into a beautiful mess which seems to come from deep within the band, it’s that moment where the guitars are howling and you can sense the pure energy coming from them.

Although the band have made a denser record with Sunbathing Animal, they have stuck with what they know and just developed it further, something that their fans wanted. The album has its slower songs, the tasty ‘Dear Ramona’ and the grainy ‘Raw Milk’, which help blend the album and break it up from time to time. The denser sound they spoke about comes alive in ‘What Colour is Blood’ as the riff lingers throughout and separating them from a lot of other upcoming bands.

The songs have a certain simplicity running through them, as it is often a continuous riff that provides the bed for the lyrics. However, having the guitars slightly stripped back, Savage states that it allowed him to do more with his lyrics and wordplay, which add this depth to their songs. This depth is best found within ‘Duckin' And Dodgin’ along with the title track ‘Sunbathing Animal’; the songs’ riffs are more simple, so the lyrics and the vocals become more complex as they bounce around.

The riff that comes out of ‘Instant Disassembly’ is charming, as it once again has an infectious edge to it. The song is easily the longest on the album, but the listener is kept interested throughout. The ending is a fitting one as ‘Into The Garden’ wraps it all up with a short and sweet piece of what they’ve been serving throughout the album: first class lo-fi indie music.

Parquet Courts have lived up to the hype with this release as it certifies how good they are at piecing an album together. Whether it trumps Light Up Gold is a separate matter, but it will definitely be one of the best albums released this year.

Sunbathing Animals is released on June 2 and will be available from iTunes here.