Parquet Courts are a rock band. They’re a post-punk band. A garage-rock band. They’re a bit experimental. They’re kind of funky? On their latest album, Sympathy For Life, they remain hard to define, bringing in more synths, keyboards and dance than ever before — but as always, that array of sounds forms the foundation for lyricist Andrew Savage’s razor-sharp poetry.
There’s something about this album that captures the times we’re in right now: There’s so much going on and it sometimes feels like it’s barely holding together as we all barrel forward through unpredictable twists and turns. It’s kind of the perfect energy for the first live full-band performance I’ve hosted in the World Cafe studio since before the pandemic began.