Photos & Review by: Blanton Leigh
After a brief hiatus from their North American Tour, Australian electropop band Parcels came back with a bang, with a sold-out show no less, in Asheville, NC at The Orange Peel on March 28, 2022. The band consists of five members: guitarist Jules Crommelin, keyboardist Louie Swain, keyboardist/guitarist Patrick Hetherington, bassist Noah Hill, and drummer Anatole ‘Toto’ Serret. Since the band’s origin in 2014 Parcels have amassed over 400 million streams, over 2.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and 200,000 album sales worldwide. They have also played at some of the most popular music festivals globally, including Coachella and Glastonbury. This tour comes after their critically-acclaimed album Day/Night, was released. Day/Night is a double record of which each is titled Day and Night, respectively, totaling 19 tracks. Day/Night was recorded at the famed La Frette Studio in Paris, produced independently by the band, and mixed by James Ford. There are string arrangements by Canadian composer Owen Pallett, who also contributed to acts such as Arcade Fire, Duran, Duran, Taylor Swift, The National, etc. The band self-describes the sound of this record as “Cowboy Disco”, blending elements of western folk and classic pop. The album covers opposing themes, for example, identity vs. anonymity, family vs. independence, belonging vs. isolation, and nostalgia vs. projection, in essence, oneself and their shadow self.
This show was hands down one of the top shows I have attended, let alone covered. From the first note to the last one, the band had the fans in the palm of their hands. I have never heard a crowd scream so loud that it almost made me light-headed, in the best kind of way. The energy created in that space was so contagious that the band and the crowd became symbiotic. Their set heavily consisted of songs from their most recent record, Day/Night. Their hit “Tieduprightnow,” was an obvious crowd-pleaser and a show highlight. I could tell the band was excited and ready to be back on tour doing what they loved, a magical experience. From beginning to end, the energy did not wain. Whether or not the tempo was upbeat, mid-tempo, or a ballad, I could not stop moving. I am a fan of music in general, and I owe a lot of that to my dad, thank you, Dad. He introduced me to The Beach Boys and The Beatles. These are two bands that I love, and two bands who happen to inspire Parcels, which is evident in their music, but they add a modern twist that brings it to another planet. I felt as though this was my way of seeing those bands in concert, and that is the biggest compliment and thank you I could give.
If you have not heard of or not checked this band out for yourself, now is the time, they are growing with each passing second, and I would hate for anyone to miss out on this incredible band and their moving music.
Day/Night is available to stream on most major music streaming platforms.
