Album Review: Tess Parks - 'Pomegranate'
Canada-born, London-based singer/songwriter Tess Parks is back after her long-awaited solo return with her new album, Pomegranate. Her two-year anticipated return follows her critically acclaimed ‘And Those Who Were Seen Dancing,’ which followed a strong collaboration with Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Anton Newcombe.
Written and recorded between London, Toronto, and Los Angeles, ‘Pomegranate’ is filled with joy, heartbreak, peace, and love. Parks make this album by whisking in psychedelia elements, which makes it sound fresh and dreamy. ‘Pomegranate’ brings a sense of nostalgia, but Parks’ voice makes it feel pristine at the same time.
‘Pomegranate’ finds Parks back collaborating on albums with her long-term band member Ruari Meehan and also co-mixed the album alongside Mikko Gordon.
The record begins with soft-sounding ‘Bagpies Blues,’ which gets the music flowing throughout your body with Park’s majestic soft voice. The multilayered harmonic structures take this track to the next level of euphoria. The dominant drum backing track with additional wistful strings is so beautiful, tied with Parks’ soft voice, that it brings anticipation to get up and dance slowly along to the music. It is five minutes of pure bliss.
Pomegranate is filled with plenty of experiments as guests are introduced to Parks’ work. ‘Koalas’, initially released back in July 2024 kicked off the recording of Pomegranate. Meehan originally sent her the music whilst she was dealing with a severe case of PTSD, and incapable of creating music. Parks says, "I went through a long period of feeling like I never wanted to make music again.”
“What is the point of singing? Everything is pointless.” Alas, months later she listened, and lyrics were added and the process of writing an album had blossomed.
Molly Lewis adds eerie melancholic whistling, assisted by the country-style acoustic guitar heightening the scary atmosphere of the song. Parks has clearly pushed her vocals to new heights on this album especially on ‘Koalas’ and ‘Charlie Potato’, with her sharp, beautiful and vulnerable lyrics syncing beautifully with the musicality of the tracks. Her voice is fresh, sharp and ever so present in this new era of work.
Alongside Koalas, ‘California’s Dreaming’ features contributions from her band members Francesco Perini and Marco Nini. The pair are essentially the backbone of this track. Their added drums (Nini) and piano and organs (Perini) shine through gloriously, suiting Parks’ strong, poetic, raspy voice.
‘Crown Shy’, the second release following after ‘Koalas’, is Parks’ nod to her family, and especially her sister for helping her sobriety from alcohol. She delicately tells a story with this track, similar to ‘Lemon Poppy’ which has a bruised pleasure to human tendencies such as drinking and smoking with lyrics “life is perfect, yeah it’s awesome.” The acoustic strings provide an extra texture to both songs alongside Parks’ relaxed harmonies.
Iconically named ‘Charlie Potato’ is six minutes of Parks grabbing the listener’s attention as she dialects a vivid narrative. It is heavily reliant on the instrumentation of the track of chiming bells and the soft whistling flute. Its overall rustic jazzy vibe enhances the tale Parks’ is trying to express, setting a dreamy, blissful mood.
Fading out of the album, ‘Running Home to Sing’, ‘Sunnyside’ and ‘Surround’ carry out the light buoyant mood until the last sound.
If you feel the need to dance around effortlessly but also feel rather vulnerable, ‘Pomegranate’ definitely tingles all of the emotions. And as Parks mentions “But if anything, this album is a gift of love, our contribution to the world of something beautiful that we made amongst so much pain. It's our message of empowerment to keep going even when life feels unliveable and unjust - having faith that this moment will pass if you can find a way to just breathe into the next moment.”
It is a delightful, indulgent sound filled with cracks that are covered up with sheer love and affection from all who collaborated on the album and Parks herself. It is really an honourable work of art. With Pomegranate, Tess Parks not only reaffirms her place in the music landscape but also invites listeners to join her on a deeply personal journey of resilience and healing. The album is a testament to the transformative power of music, urging us to embrace both the light and the darkness.
Words by Davina Sansom
