Album Review: Picture Parlour - 'The Parlour'
Picture Parlour are set to take listeners on the journey of a lifetime; all you need to do is step into The Parlour.
London-based Picture Parlour, made up of Katherine Parlour and Ella Risi, built up a stellar reputation and a band of dedicated listeners before ever releasing their first single. Focusing on live performances, becoming regulars at London’s beloved The Windmill, and catching the attention of Courtney Love, word of the impressive duo spread like wildfire. With a highly successful and well-loved EP Face In The Picture already under their belt, the pair are finally set to release their long-awaited debut album, The Parlour, on the 14th of November. The Parlour is a mix of soulful, fun, classic rock’n’roll tracks that will take listeners on one hell of a journey.
The album opens with an earlier single, Cielo Drive, inspired by the infamous Hollywood street; it’s an immediate attention grabber. Between Katherine’s powerful vocals and the bone-rattling guitar riffs, it’s the perfect opener, setting the mood and the intention for the rest of the album. It’s an earworm of a track too, the heavy drums and infectious pull of guitars settling deep into your bones. It also blends effortlessly into the second track, 24 Hr Open, a song “inspired by a documentary about Tesco that left them feeling nostalgic and a little sad about the small social interactions that might be the highlight of someone’s day”. The influence of the Arctic Monkeys is laced throughout the track, while still maintaining the Picture Parlour sound with its whaling, siren-like guitars, punchy lyrics and guttural vocals.
The duo have a knack for bringing light to situations that can feel quite heavy, such as the wavey, jukebox rock song Used To Be Your Girlfriend, which focuses on ex-lovers, regret and growing older. “I used to be your girlfriend / and now you’ve got a baby / I’ve been thinking about it lately / cause now I’m feeling ready to go.” It’s somewhat tragically funny and deeply relatable for many people, seeing past lovers reaching certain milestones with someone new, always thinking about the “What Ifs”. It’s also one of the standout tracks of the album, with its dreamlike psych-rock sound, the striking guitars and subtle addition of the keys along with its tongue-in-cheek lyrics. It’s nothing short of addictive.
And Picture Parlour’s debut album is certainly not short on addictive tracks, ones that embed themselves into your brain, that linger in your ears, your mind, long after you’ve listened. Talk About It is one such example. With its relentless drums and gritty guitars, it’s a track that immediately scratches an itch, worms its way under your skin, has you moving your feet without even releasing it. While the jagged, punky Who’s There To Love Without You is another. It’s intense, sharp, with Ella Risi’s flawless guitar and Katherine’s soulful vocals.
The Parlour feels like an album AND a place where one is encouraged to dive deep into their imagination, explore their creativity, push boundaries. Lead vocalist Katherine has said she wants “people to feel sexy listening to our songs.” Speaking about the ballad-like track Ronnie’s Note, Katherine said, “When I play ‘Ronnie’s Note’ it makes me feel like a filthy old divorced guy. I’ve never had a penis, but it makes me think I’ve got one for three minutes, and that I’ve used it badly.” Honestly, it’s hard not to imagine this character hanging around in The Parlour when listening to the song.
Ronnie’s Note isn’t the only rock-ballad played in The Parlour. Around The Bend is a devastatingly beautiful piece of music; there’s a heaviness to it, dark, jarring guitars and bleeding vocals. It could very well be the highlight of the album for many. The Parlour is also home to the band’s beloved debut single, Norwegian Wood. A soul-crushing love song, which, although it has been out for a while, is like a fine wine and only gets better with age. It’s well deserving of its place on the album.
Picture Parlour close out their album with The Travelling Show, a piano-led song about Katherine’s rocky relationship with her hometown of Liverpool. It’s chill-inducing, the haunting pace of the piano joined by the guitar and topped off with rough, poignant vocals and dark, despairing lyrics, “'cause baby I came here to die by your side.” It’s the perfect finish to the album, the signal not only of the end of the record, but of the end of the night at The Parlour.
As far as debut albums go, Picture Parlour have hit the nail on the head. It’s an album that will take you on a journey through the rock genre at its finest, will have you confronting all types of emotions, and will have you getting fully lost inside your imagination. One thing is for certain: once you step inside The Parlour, you will never want to leave.
Words by Angela English
