Parallel – Parallel CS (Cherub Dream Records)

It’s been a while since I heard anything about Cherub Dream Records, and I wondered if they’re still active. About a month after that, I received an email from them about their new cassette release. Their aesthetics remained the same, but the label came a long way in terms of quality. Their latest release is more than solid proof of my statement. I wasn’t familiar with this band, but since I heard their music, I will pay more attention to their activities. The Parallel is an Oakland-based band that immediately blew me away with their ideas and musicianship. I was immediately stunned by their sound since I heard the introductory composition, but the remainder of the material is equally good.

This self-titled EP release carries six excellent songs, enhanced by the elements borrowed from many complimentary genres. Also, it’s not so easy to define their primary music direction because Parallels combine several genres at once. Perhaps shoegaze comes to mind at first. However, other ingredients like dream pop, coldwave, new wave, indie, and post-punk are lurking in the mix. You’ll have difficulties defining their music, but there’s no doubt you’ll love how they combine shoegaze with post-punk, dream pop with coldwave, and, after all, some sonic movements that are one of the main properties of contemporary indie music. It’s nearly mindblowing how all these elements work together in harmony throughout the entire material without spoiling each other. It is the main reason why this cassette differs from other releases presented on the shoegaze scene nowadays.

The band also paid a lot of attention to aesthetics. Each composition differs, and you may hear how the eighties, nineties, and contemporary scenes inspired these musicians to write, compose, and record such an outstanding EP. Still, their self-titled EP sounds compact from beginning to end, and you’ll get the impression that you listened to one longevous composition with countless segments and themes. You will fall in love with this material if you love reverby, clean-sounding chord progressions, moderate rhythmic sequences, and dual vocals. Parallel is a highly recommended band for those profoundly into echoic, melancholic shoegaze enhanced with elements borrowed from other complementary genres. The cassette is available on the Cherub Dream Records Bandcamp page. Head over to their website for more information about ordering.