If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Charlotte Tobin Melbourne's Parsnip is going to be one those really divisive bands. Some of you are going to love this and become completely obsessed, while others are going to despise this so feverishly that it may destroy friendships. But that's ok. Their latest single, "Rip It Off," almost comes across as a psychedelic children's song but with a punk attitude to it. In other words, it would exist in some demonic version of a kids' TV show. That doesn't make it evil sounding. It's mostly cheery, with a hypnotic sound to it. The closest artists to compare "Rip It Off" to are Jonathan Richman and Beat Happening. Stella Rennix of Parsnip explains the song:  "To me ‘Rip It Off’ came from a feeling of being hung up on what the future holds, living in a haze of concern, and so missing out on your life as it’s happening. I suppose it is a song about worrying...the fruitlessness of incessant worry."  You can watch the vid...

Photo by Charlotte Tobin The new song from Melbourne's Parsnip reminds me of a very specific time in the 90's when the aggression of grunge faded away and was replaced by an almost childlike sense of joy in alternative music. This was a very brief and oft forgotten time when music became absurdly fun. "Lift Off!" is a burst of happiness infused with a laid back retro feel. If I was going to compare it to any other bands it would be Cornershop meets Bis. Bass player/vocalist Paris Richens says this about the track: "Lift Off’s opening line stems from nonsense I wrote during a low point in my life. I wanted more than anything to be far away from the position I was in, longing to travel, to rise above the sorrow I was experiencing and reach a happier destination. After Parsnip formed I revisited the themes of transportation and movement as I have in many of my songs. Through my attempts at songwriting I discovered the joy that I was always seeking and that per...