Parquet Courts – ‘Sunbathing Animal’
The weekend wave has started to swell, and as the crest nears its optimum height, another wave of inspiration is flooding across the Atlantic. New York City has long been a cultural cesspit of innovation and industry, but lately, bands have been more concerned with the image than the ignition of something great.
Churning out minimal laptop luxe for sling-back-hat hipsters or regurgitating naughties indie, ‘The Best of Brooklyn’ these last few years has been a shambolic anthology.
One band determined not to get lost in the mire of muso-fashionistas is Parquet Courts. We’ve been featuring the band and their satirising lyrics and sardonic performance for a while now, but ‘Sunbathing Animal’ marks a distinct new chapter for the band. The first record to be released under their new label, Rough Trade, the track is a furious rendition of heavy metal bubblegum via a morose modernisation.
Thundering out of the gates, there is no apology for the simplicity of the sound; its three chords of joyful hammering and teeth-clenching strumming are what make this song an instant hit.
Parquet Courts have embodied the spirit of ’77 with their Ramones-inspired dirt rock, sneered at by purists and smirked at by publicists. They speak for a disillusioned generation of degenerates.
This unification of the under-valued and under-nourished youth couldn’t be seen more clearly as they release ‘Sunbathing Animal’ as sheet music alongside normal formats to encourage a group sing-a-long, I guess.
Beyond any social or political agenda, Parquet Courts may have attributed to them, what’s important is the precise simplicity of sound and their continuous lack of pandering to a pretentious industry which has won so many hearts. Tracks like ‘Sunbathing Animal’ will continue to win plenty more.
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