A few weeks back, we featured dream-psych rockers Parrot Dream‘s single “Light Goes (In Mines).” That track is off of the band’s just released debut LP, Light Goes, and to celebrate we had them break it all down for us track by track.
Get the scoop while streaming Light Goes below and order it on vinyl here.
“Light Goes (In Mines)”
“We created the melody with an old Yamaha that we used to have, and then tracked drum ideas. The structure is definitely irregular, but still works as a pop song. The intro/verses were reworked several times until they felt right. Lyrically, it was written as a reflection on the relationship between a father and child – speaking of emotions often unexpressed and stories left untold. It is inspired in part by Gonzalo and his father.”
“Follow Me”
“This is one of the first songs we started using a drum pad on – we brought it in when recording, and then have used drum sounds ever since on this track. The origin of the melody was formed on an acoustic guitar, and then building the song, we wanted to create layers that would expand from soft and to chaotic. It has a kind of ebb and flow feeling, like the tide.”
“1740”
“The title was inspired by a Blonde Redhead song ‘23’ named (supposedly) after one of the band member’s address, and so ‘1740’ is…our address. The title came after the song’s lyrics were written and was unrelated, but after a while the lyrics seemed to mold to the idea of this very specific place in time. Musically, it is one of the more complex songs structurally and tonally. There are multiple sections that have different mood-scapes. And it’s Gonzalo’s favorite song on the record.”
“Paradise & Prey”
“We started writing Paradise & Prey right before moving to New York so it essentially serves as a musical link between our EP and this upcoming album. The lyrics are inspired by the song’s repeating melody, which resonates like the slow, sure-footed steps. Gonzalo’s guitar was influenced by the sounds of psychedelic rock.”
“Julio”
“With Julio, the keys came first, then the vocals. We wanted to create a song with a simple chord progression – 2 chords that loop, but we try to play with the dynamics to differentiate between sections. Julio is great fun to play live – there’s a deep resonant feeling that moves throughout the song. The first ideas for this song were saved in Kiki’s music memos with the month as the name, thus the title of this track is Julio. The lyrics tell the story of wanting to connect with someone who has become estranged and how that can feel impossibly desperate.”
“By Your Side”
“We worked on elevating big chords with interwoven guitar solos in this song, and at times it’s as if keys and guitar are battling. Gonzalo is using reverse delay on the guitar, which results in it sounding slightly off-tempo. We liked the idea of a song being ‘imperfect’. The lyrics reflect on places held in relationships, and how those places shift with time.”
“Fall Forward”
“The original idea was very simple for Fall Forward, and definitely started out slower and more groovy. When we brought it to Goose, who recorded the drums on this album, he proposed something a bit different, and it just went down another path involving experimenting with the beat. At some point, we had a couple of different versions of the chorus to choose from.”
“Cloudchaser”
“‘Cloudchaser’ was written early on, and started out as the guitar riff that you hear at the beginning of the song. Lyrically, it was written with playful metaphors in mind, which reflect an idea of being in a relationship with unpredictable, somewhat tumultuous patterns.”
“Ode to Octavia”
“‘Ode’ is Kiki’s favorite song on the album, and has a political bent. It is inspired by and dedicated to the great writer Octavia Butler, whose prescience is powerfully apparent at this time in history. In particular, the lyrics draw from her work “Parable of the Sower.” We started writing with the guitar melody, looking to do a heavier song, and ended up deciding to split the song into two parts – the first section is kind of guitar & bass heavy, and then the second more keys focused and groovier.”
“Helium”
“This song is a favorite closer – also on the album – because it rolls out in layers that build up, and expand up & out. On this song, the keys part was created first, and it was challenging to fit in the guitar part; it took a while to figure out what fit best. The keys arrangements are airy and floaty, and inspired the lyrics for sure.”
