Parallel Weave Shoegaze and Post-Punk Together in Their Beautiful and Somber New Single “Blister”

fade, wither, shine

like the blister of a burnt-out century

From the misty realms of Oakland, California, Parallel emerges, weaving together the introspective echoes of post-punk and the ethereal whispers of shoegaze. They craft their unique sound by entwining the dense and brooding with the airy and delicate, forming a lush yet austere musical tapestry that shimmers with a dark, haunting beauty. Drawing on the gothic psychedelia of The Chameleons and Sad Lovers and Giants and the minimalist atmospherics of Slowdive, Low, and Wire, Parallel’s music is a modern odyssey through dream pop, slowcore and post-punk—a soundscape that is both timeless and otherworldly.

Their latest enchantment, Blister, unfurls with a melody that winds its way deep into the soul, intertwining dual voices in a dance of vulnerability and strength. The song pulses with a rhythm that mirrors the eternal tension between decay and promise, guiding the listener through a fog-shrouded journey where single guitar notes illuminate the path to a soaring conclusion. Each note paints vivid, ephemeral images, capturing both the tangible and the intangible.

Blister‘s lyrics delve into the transient beauty of decay, juxtaposing ruin with the glimmer of hope. The imagery evokes a journey through shifting realities, where light and shadow play at the edges of perception. Themes of ephemeral existence are woven through the lyrics, suggesting a world where endings are intertwined with moments of rapture, and new visions emerge from the remnants of the past. It’s a world vast yet intimate, where time is marked by both withering and shining moments.

The visualizer for “Blister” beautifully captures this cyclical dance with stop-motion animation of a rose constructing and deconstructing itself. Watch below:

Parallel was born in the autumn of 2019, and their sound was forged in the crucible of drummer Maria’s basement during the early pandemic days. Over the next five years, they refined their craft, emerging from the DIY scene with roots in projects like Ragana and Negative Standards. Their live debut was met with swift acclaim in the Bay Area, leading to a West Coast tour that reached from Tijuana to Vancouver, BC. With plans for an East Coast and Midwest tour in 2025, Parallel’s momentum shows no signs of slowing. They recently opened for Mount Eerie at the Great American Music Hall and contributed to the compilation of Psychic Eye Records, The Ancient Wall, supporting displaced Palestinians and Oakland’s homeless.

In 2023, Parallel returned to Atomic Garden Studios to record Flooded, a six-track mini-album set for release in July 2024 on Play Alone Records and Cherub Dream Records. This album builds on their established sound with dynamic song structures, intricate vocal harmonies, and interweaving dual-guitar melodies, offering an expansive lyrical palette.

Blister is the first single from the forthcoming new album Flooded, out on July 10, 2024

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