Parlor Walls songs never quite sound like they’ve come together. The trio of Alyse Lamb, Kate Mohanty, and Chris Mulligan seem to be constructing their songs while they’re playing them, working their way around an idea to test its efficacy before proceeding to the next movement. And while that probably sounds like a terrible way to make music, there’s a kind of implied coherence to what the Brooklyn group is doing that comes from their natural chemistry that makes it compelling.
It makes a song like “Play Opposites,” from their full-length debut Opposites, feel like a guided exploration through sounds: mid-aughts Dischord post-punk, au courant Brooklyn sax-punk, and so on. While this is decidedly experimental music, Lamb’s strong vocal runs act as a unifying force, welcoming us into the din.
Today, we’re pleased to be premiering the “Play Opposites” video, which you can see below. The clip was directed and edited by Mulligan, and produced by Famous Swords, the art collective run by Lamb. You can check it out below.
Opposites is out now on Northern Spy.
