FEATURE:
Spotlight
PHOTO CREDIT: Jamie Wdziekonski
have been on the scene for a fair few years now, I think that they are still relatively unknown in the U.K. It can be the case that a great and popular Australian band might take a bit longer to gain traction elsewhere than a band based in the U.K. or U.S. Played by the likes of BBC Radio 6 Music, Parsnip are a band that need to be on your radar. Although I am not a fan of their choice of name, one cannot fault the music. They are a phenomenal band with a very long and bright future. Consisting of Carolyn Hawkins on drums, Stella Rennex on guitar and vocals, Paris Richenson bass guitar and vocals and Rebecca Liston on keyboards, this group of friends are a phenomenal proposition. I am going to get to a recent interview with them. First, there are a couple of features about recent single, The Light. Released back in February, it was a tantalising and brilliant cut from their new album, Behold. That was released on 26th April. CLASH were among those who shared their thoughts on The Light:
“Melbourne group Parsnip dart out of the tracks with new single ‘The Light’.
The four-piece caught attention with two helter-skelter seven inch singles, before delivering 2019 debut album ‘When The Tree Bears Fruit’.
Working patiently on a follow-up, Parsnip have signed to UK based DIY collective Upset The Rhythm, who will release new album ‘Behold’ on April 26th.
New single ‘The Light’ shows just why this band are so special: a tightly wound piece of off kilter indie pop, it recalls everyone from those glorious Kinks singles through to seminal Sarah Records band The Field Mice via the messthetics of The Raincoats.
With a fuzzed out garage-punk guitar solo, this is the kind of rip-it-up-and-throw-it-away nonchalance The B-52s made their own.
Parsnip’s Carolyn Hawkins comments…
‘The Light’ is about having the wool removed from your eyes and seeing everything as it really is, blindingly clear, for the first time. I was thinking a lot about the transformative power of anger in grief and healing, and I guess I also just wanted to express how I was feeling. Rage always produces the catchiest songs.
I was inspired by the Rumi quote “The wound is where the light enters you”, as well as Leonard Cohen’s ‘Paper Thin Hotel’, which describes the experience of hearing an ex sleeping with someone else in the next room, and his liberation at realising he no longer feels anything. I also included a little interlude that rips off “Nervous Breakdown” by Black Flag, because that felt relevant too”.
The band have accrued a strong and passionate following here in the U.K. NME are fans of Parsnip. I think that they will get a lot of gig demands here very soon. A band that cannot be confined to Australia. I think that The Light was a song that introduced some new fans to this wonderful group. Again, they should be on your radar:
“Parsnip have released ‘The Light’, the first single lifted from their just-announced album, ‘Behold’.
Released Tuesday (February 13), the single is carried by sunny guitar melodies, propulsive percussion and sing-along jangle pop vocals. “‘The Light’ is about having the wool removed from your eyes and seeing everything as it really is, blindingly clear, for the first time,” Parsnip drummer Carolyn Hawkins explained in a press statment.
“I was thinking a lot about the transformative power of anger in grief and healing, and I guess I also just wanted to express how I was feeling. Rage always produces the catchiest songs.”
‘The Light’ is inspired by the Leonard Cohen track ‘Paper Thin Hotel’, which recounts the singer’s “liberation at realising he no longer feels anything,” Hawkins added.
‘The Light’ is the first preview of Parsnip’s upcoming second album, ‘Behold’. Set for release on April 26 via Anti Fade Records and Upset The Rhythm, the 13-track project will mark the Melbourne/Naarm four-piece’s first full-length since their 2019 debut album, ‘When the Tree Bears Fruit’”.
I want to come to this interview with the band. There are not many recent interviews with Parsnip. I think that publications and websites around the world should connect with the band. They have a distinct sound that should be played far and wide. I think that the rest of this year is going to be eventful for Parsnip:
“For our readers who aren't familiar, take us through the origins of Parsnip. How did you four all meet and decide to make music together?
Bec: Stella and I played in a band together before Parsnip back in Sydney, so it was excellent timing that the band needed to find a new keyboardist the same time I moved down to Melbourne in 2017!
Carolyn: Paris (who I knew through her band Hierophants) and Stella (who I was living with at the time) came up to me at Jerkfest in 2016 and were talking about how we should make a band. I think we told everyone that night. The next day we all messaged each other saying, "can we actually make that happen for real?? I wasn't joking!" We originally had Sequoia (from Melbourne band The Clits) playing keys, and then Bec joined a few months later.
Paris: Yeah, I was in a rut! I watched The Punk Singer and wanted so badly to be in a band with like-minded people on the same level as me, not just the inexperienced-girl-in-a-band. It was also the first time that I felt like I belonged somewhere playing in my first band Hierophants. I wanted that on another level. The thing was I knew I wanted to play with both Stella and Carolyn but I didn't say anything 'cause I was too shy, but word got to Stella and then Stella approached Caz, then after our friend Sequoia left, Bec arrived at just the right time, who was poached by Stella.
Stella: Yes, what they said :^).
What are your thoughts looking back on the band's journey and how you've grown together?
Bec: It has been incredibly affirming and encouraging playing in a band where we share similar experiences within the music scene, it has been easier to shake off disappointing or disrespectful comments as a unit together. Our lives look so different from eight years ago, I am always so grateful for Parsnip remaining such a positive constant in my life.
Carolyn: I think we are friends first, bandmates second, and in the time we've known each other, we've all individually gone through lots of life changes… eight years is a lifetime ago. In terms of band stuff, I feel like our songwriting has really morphed — it feels more natural to collaborate and throw ideas out there, which I guess is just about becoming more comfortable with each other in a creative sense.
Paris: I'm very glad to have found that sense of belonging I was seeking through Parsnip, and that despite whatever the world throws at us, we are still at it. It is a testament to our enduring friendship. I am glad we are working more collaboratively, and there is still a lot of freedom and acceptance regarding expression. I'm certainly grateful the others have been keen to work on ideas I have brought to the group all this time, and it is fascinating to hear ideas emerging from all members. Also, as musicians, everyone has come a long way in terms of each member's skills.
Stella: Spanning almost the entirety of my 20s, at this point Parsnip is the longest relationship I've been in, and I wouldn't have it any other way. We have grown up together and surfed life's ups and downs beside each other. I love being a prong on this fork and I feel lucky to have these great people by my side, in music and life.
PHOTO CREDIT: Kelli Blackmore
What is it like returning with new music this year after not putting out a release since 2020?
Bec: Exciting! It's been so long it all feels new again!
Carolyn: Yeah, definitely exciting. It's been a long time coming, so it's cool to finally be able to show people what we've been busy working on.
Paris: It is exciting and kind of nerve wracking at the same time. It can be weird when you have an idea sitting in your brain so long and then it's out and exposed to the world. But super glad we are back!
Stella: Yes, I agree. It's exciting and a long time coming. I'm really happy with how the album turned out, I think it's our best collection of songs so far. I look forward to hearing how others interpret and do, or don't (haha), enjoy the songs. Even if everyone else hates the songs I'll still back them and love them as our collaborative creations, maybe we are just (five years) ahead of our time.
What can you say about the making of your upcoming sophomore album Behold. How exactly did it all come together in three sessions over the last three years?
Carolyn: So hard to remember now! Two of the songs were recorded at the same time as the Adding Up 7" way back in early 2020. We generally all need to be in the same room to get stuff done, so lockdown really threw a spanner in the works for making new songs. After two years of lockdowns and a year of playing shows, we had some new material ready to record, and we booked in a day with Billy with the idea of recording another 7". We were chatting in the carpark afterwards and Billy suggested we try for an album instead, so we continued to write songs and did another recording session a few months later with both Billy and Jack.
Paris: I liked this more relaxed approach of recording in multiple sessions with Billy, rather than rushing through twelve or more songs in one session as we had in the past. I also really appreciated having my partner Jack help with overdubs at home.
Stella: It was a rather organic process, we weren't overly rushed and many of the songs were developed collaboratively over a number of years. Other songs came together pretty naturally during the recording process. We are lucky to have Billy and Jack on our side, they are so wonderful to work with; encouraging, enlightening and know how to press the right buttons [laughs].
How did these batch of songs progress from their initial demos? Were there any that turned out entirely different than you had expected while experimenting with ideas?
Carolyn: I can only speak for my own songs — but my demos are always super basic, I just record them on my phone. They take on a life of their own once we start collaborating and workshopping them as a group, which is an exciting thing to see and hear.
Paris: I had some really old Garageband demos, but I also felt I wanted the rest of the members to have more freedom to bring their ideas and skills. So it was fun to see what emerged.
Stella: A few of these song ideas, I guess I'm mostly referring to "The Babble" as that came from an old demo of mine, have been sitting undeveloped for many years. It was a fun process to bring them into the Parsnip cauldron and watch them grow from a sketch of a song idea into a fully developed song”.
Which song from the record means the most to you (and why)?
Bec: A parent doesn't choose favorites! But "Pockets" was written back in 2019 and has been part of our live set since then, so I am looking forward to it finally being out in the world.
Carolyn: I agree with Bec, I love them all, but I did cry the first time I heard Paris’ ending to Kutastha (on the harmonium), so maybe that.
Paris: "Unearthing," which is a devotional song, not necessarily a love song written for an individual, but feels very meaningful in terms of my spiritual journey and the love and gratitude I feel being on the path.
Stella: Hmm I don't necessarily have a favorite…I'm rather fond of "Clear Blue Sky" as the style is very up my alley, our homage to The Dovers.
Can we expect any nifty music videos around the new album?
Bec: Sure can!
Carolyn: In the works!
How excited are you for the release of this album and to get back playing more Parsnip shows?
Carolyn: We have been playing a little bit! And it's been nice. Trying to figure out how to play some of the new songs live has been a challenge, but it's been fun to share them.
Paris: It feels great to have new material and showcase how the band has evolved. Looking forward to what lies ahead!
Stella: It is rather exciting and I sure do look forward to April 26th — Behold's Birthday”.
‘Behold’ continues with numerous memorable highlights such as ‘Duality’, with its a blend of fragile post-punk and Nuggets-style 60s psychedelia and the slide guitar of ‘L.O.N.E’. ‘Placeholder’ could have easily found itself being released by Sarah Records in the late 1980s while ‘Pocket’ is an instrumental brimming with insistent but swirling organ, punctuated by sax.
The album’s best run of songs begins with ‘The Babble’ which has the air of a 60s summery classic rescued from the attic, its upbeat melody aided by buoyant whistling and some 12-string guitar. It is followed by ‘Turn To Love’ which stays in that era, led by mesmeric keyboard lines and great rough and ready harmonies. ‘Clear Blue Sky’ reverts to psychedelia, but of the clear-sighted, see how many melodic ideas we can explore in a short space of time variety rather than a male version that prioritises lengthy guitar solos.
Led by Paris Richens’ scampering bass, ‘Papier Mache’ recalls Lungleg and has them revealing “My head is gonna split in two, fix it with flour and glue” as a revelation of their DIY, Blue Peter ethos. The closing track, ‘Kutastha’, is the longest, heading towards the five-minute mark with wah-wah guitar and a harmonic drone fadeout which initially felt less appealing than the rest of the album but gradually reveals its charms upon repeated listens. First and foremost, ‘Behold’ is a lo-fi pop album, albeit one spliced with a crazed sense of adventure. This is one Parsnip that I will happily gorge upon”.
If you have not yet discovered Melbourne’s Parsnip, then make sure that you get onto them. Check out their new album and follow them on social media. They are a very special group that should be embraced and shared. I have a feeling we will see the rise and rise of Parsnip. They are going to be together and hitting strong…
FOR years to come.
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