The power-pop trio is back with an earnest road-movie rocker that’s sure to give you a lift. Or maybe a push. Perhaps even a tug. Whatever it is, you’re likely to get nudged in a good way.
Writing about their last single “Let’s Pretend,” I ascribed to Parasouls “[an] airy-fairy plainness that borders on collegiate.” Quick to counter, I also acknowledged how the trio’s non-complexity is no handicap. Far from it.
Simple, after all, doesn’t equate to simplistic.
And that assertion is made all truer with the single-mindedly celebratory “Sunny Beach,” their latest offering. It’s got some strong ‘90s road-movie, alt-rock vibes—the modular-rock stylings of Shonen Knife, the heart-rending transparency of Bettie Serveert—and it’s delivered with the urgency of a live show (somewhere outdoorsy and tropical).
As always, Dani Dimaano sounds painfully earnest, churning dirt-tone guitars that serve as buoyant counterpoint to her sun-kissed pipework. But the rhythm section guys (bassist Josh Gaces and drummer Igoy Dimaano) are no slouches either, eschewing flash in favor of playing that’s melodic, intuitive, and driving.
That insistent (and persistent) bassline, for one, is the stuff of rainbows.
Thematically, Parasouls isn’t a band you take apart with tiny scalpels. The listener isn’t likely to uncover Earth-shattering revelations about the brokenness of humanity or the futility of life in their verses. But this very quality is, in fact, what makes them a charming, no-frills proposition.
“Just to have fun. That’s basically it. I wrote this for my barkada and our longing to see each other again and hang out,” Dani says of the song’s prosaic beginnings.
Certainly, the Parasouls kids don’t churn tunes to consume copious levels of controlled substances to. Nor do they craft wrist-slasher anthems to soundtrack your woes with. Press “play” on “Sunny Beach” and see (yet again) what they’re made of. Chances are, you’re made of the same stuff, too.
“We hope this track resonates with you and makes you happy!” the band beams in a statement.