Staleness and dormancy are not what come to mind when thinking about Parquet Courts. They are a controlled kinetic energy, ready to unleash a torrent of lyrics and catchy frantic sounds at any turn. However, the sound of their new single “Dust” (off the forthcoming album Human Performance) embodies its lyrics with a slow burn.
The pressures and redundancies of life pile up, unnoticed until a gloved hand turns up black upon inspection. “It comes through the window/ It comes through the floor/ It comes through the roof / It comes through the floor”, add up a lot of tiny stresses and worries from different aspects of life and suddenly you’re choking. Throughout the song the bass and guitar pluck along, slowly and surely gathering their own steam. A climax of the mounting pressure and noise gives way to a final silence, sweeping the sound away.
“Dust” will be the lead track on Human Performance. Starting an album with a song about gathering staleness and sweeping it away is an interesting thesis. Is Parquet Courts about to try something they’ve never done before? The recently released EP Monastic Living was a diversion from the norm, almost completely instrumental and more noise than melody. The title of the EP suggests that the band spent some time looking within and the new album is starting with a clean slate. A new facet to a band as smart and focused as Parquet Courts can only mean one thing: clear the dust off your speakers.
Human Performance is out 4/8 on Rough Trade:
1 “Dust”
2 “Human Performance”
3 “Outside”
4 “I Was Just Here”
5 “Paraphrased”
6 “Captive Of The Sun”
7 “Steady On My Mind”
8 “One Man, No City”
9 “Berlin Got Blurry”
10 “Keep It Even”
11 “Two Dead Cops”
12 “Pathos Prairie”
13 “It’s Gonna Happen”
PARQUET COURTS – 2016 TOUR DATES
Mon. Feb. 15 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall w/ Love Of Everything
Tue. Feb. 16 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall w/ Love Of Everything
Thu. Feb. 18 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club w/ Love Of Everything
Fri. Feb. 19 – Calgary, AB @ Commonwealth Bar
Sat. Feb. 20 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater w/ Dumb
Tue. Feb. 23 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Wed. Feb. 24 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom w/ Woolen Men
Fri. Feb. 26 – Oakland, CA @ The New Parish (Noise Pop) w/ Chris Cohen
Sat. Feb. 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ American Legion Hall w/ Chris Cohen
Sun. Feb. 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ American Legion Hall
Sat. Mar. 12 – Marfa, TX @ Marfa Myths w/ No Age, Emitt Rhodes, Quilt, Sheer Mag
Thu. Apr. 14 – Providence, RI @ The Met w/ Soda
Fri. Apr.15 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club w/ Soda
Sat. Apr. 16 – Kingston, NY @ BSP Kingston w/ Soda
Sun. Apr. 17 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit w/ Soda
Mon. Apr. 18 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups w/ Soda
Wed. Apr. 20 – Chicago, IL @ Metro w/ Soda
Thu. Apr. 21 – Detroit, MI @ Marble Bar w/ Soda
Fri. Apr. 22 – Toronto, Ontario @ Phoenix Theater w/ Soda
Thu. Apr. 28 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
Sat. Apr. 30 – Austin, TX @ Levitation Festival
Mon. May 2 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
Wed. May 11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer w/ B Boys
Thu. May 12 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club w/ B Boys
Fri. May 13 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle w/ B Boys
Sun. May 15 – Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Festival
Mon. May 16 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge w/ B Boys
Tue. May 17 – Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight w/ B Boys
Wed. May 18 – Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theater w/ B Boys
Fri. May 20 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall w/ B Boys
Sat. June 4 – Barcelona, SP @ Primavera Sound Festival
Sun. June 12 – London, UK @ Field Day
Tue. June 14 – Bristol, UK @ Trinity
Wed. June 15 – Liverpool, UK @ New Kazimier
Thu. June 16 – Edinburgh, UK @ La Belle Angele
Fri. June 17 – Leeds, UK @ Irish Centre
Fri. June 18 – Manchester, UK @ Gorilla
Listen to Parquet Courts “Dust” on Spotify:
Photo by Ben Rayner
