Parquet Courts at the Earl
Over furious waves of feedback, Parquet Courts proved that despite all of our disconnectedness, we can come together and experience something real
- Matthew Smith
- Parquet Courts at The Earl
Parquet Courts brought its infectious brand of DIY punk to the Earl January 29 to play a long since sold-out show. Hailing from Brooklyn via Texas, the post-punk foursome was self-assured in transitioning between material from throughout its entire catalog, opening with “You’ve Got Me Wondering Now,” from 2013’sTally All the Things That You Broke EP.
Moving on to the first two tracks from Sunbathing Animal, frontman Andrew Savage belted out the lyrics from “Black and White” over a frenetic bass and drum beat that had the crowd moving as he proclaimed, “Nothing makes my heart so wild as being in possession of a potent night.”
With a sound like a rough, raggedy Devo-meets-Pavement, Savage wavered between singing and speaking — delving into spoken word during the title track from the band’s latest LP, Content Nausea (released under the moniker Parkay Quartz) — barely audible beneath the screeching guitars.
Savage lamented how, despite our social networks, people are more alone now, recalling to a time before news feeds and Tinder dates, when people wrote letters, got lost, and — some other things I can’t remember as I had to check my phone (and avoid being crushed by the mosh pit).
When the group played “Pretty Machines,” Savage, self-aware of the effects of the advertising age, called himself out, commenting on the inescapable direction of the modern era.
Over furious waves of feedback, Parquet Courts proved that despite all of our disconnectedness, we can come together and experience something real.