Parkay Quarts is a new and rather brief incarnation of the band Parquet Courts. Composed of the two members of the band that weren’t starting a family or getting a graduate degree in math, the homonymic alter ego previously released an EP called Tally All the Things That You Broke. And now they are coming out with a short thirty-five minute LP.
This new LP, Content Nausea, is a dissonant and frenetically apathetic exploration of the constant overwhelming exposure to media in today’s world, filtered thorough the band’s hometown of NYC. The title track culminates in a stress inducing speed-spoken list of lyrics that nearly make sense and end with the singer’s revelation ‘I am a land mine.’ Presumably this refers to the volatility living in this hectic environment has instilled in him, though dismissing the possible literalness of the statement could be unwise.
Content Nausea was recorded, mixed and mastered over a two week period on a 4-track tape machine. The band chose to release it in November because they wanted something that listeners could “live with over the winter.” Their songs are reminiscent of the Ramones, Talking Heads, and Weezer, if a more atonal Lou Reed sang them. The band also beckons a comparison with Cake with their similarly apathetic if less rhythmic cover of ‘These Boots Are Made For Walking,’ though the title was simplified to ‘These Boots.’ There are a couple tracks that warrant a closer look, namely ‘Pretty Machines’ with its franticly catchy guitar line, and ‘Uncast Shadow of a Southern Myth’ with its dark noir narrative of social interactions in the South. However, overall, the album lacks the punk energy and rhythm of their previous works.
Digital release November 11th via What’s Your Rapture? and physical release December 2nd. The band will be touring under the original Parquet Courts spelling for the most part, though in Washington DC, Philadelphia, and some parts of Europe they will retain this homonymic spelling and in a couple places in Europe they will preform as PCPC. Their current American tour dates are entirely East Coast, so if you want a taste of the new Parkay Quarts, pick up Content Nausea.