Parsnip may be named after a vegetable, but their sound is much livelier than the taste of plant—in fact, the sweetness of their playful take on garage rock seems to have inspired their debut’s fruit-centric title. Incorporating a strain of psych pop specific to their home on Trouble in Mind Records—and an even more specific yé-yé sound comparable to that of labelmates The Limiñanas—it seems fair to call When the Tree Bears Fruit sugary.
It’s probably no coincidence, then, that the four-piece seem to have an encyclopedic knowledge of songs about fruit. In addition to classics like “Heard It Through the Grapevine” (they went with The Slits’ version) and “Punky’s Dilemma,” the group lists Aussie deep cuts by Howard Eynon and Gong and more recent tracks by Aldous Harding and Rico Nasty in the playlist they arranged for us. Compiled below are the band’s “colorful, fruity” favs, as they put it.
“As devoted advocates for all things health,” the band shares, “we have now progressed from our vegetable namesake to promote something sweeter—reach nirvana with bananas, slip into an apricot dream, or join the parade of “Apple Scruffs”! Indulge to your hearts’ content… IT! IS! GOOD! FOR! YOU! (Not to be taken as a substitute for your daily recommendation of fruit; for the best results, consume with an open mind…).”
When the Tree Bears Fruit is out today via Trouble in Mind and Anti Fade Records. You can order it here.
