Parcels - Loved

Laughter, jokes, building piano and synths: the key ingredients to the opening track of Parcels’ third album, ‘LOVED’. ‘Tobeloved’ immediately brings you into the thick of this world of Parcels’ creation, building an atmosphere rich in blissful happiness that overtakes you from the first listen. That beginning chatter quickly gives way to trademark Parcels harmonies, and an irresistible guitar line. It’s a rapturous start, revelling in a high energy that promises to never wane.

On ‘LOVED’, Parcels are looser and more relaxed than ever before - they lean into each track fully, letting it take them wherever it needs. The palette of sounds are more diverse than ever, and there is an unpolished quality to the record that makes it feel warmer and more resonant. From the cackling introduction that sets the chirpy ‘Thinkaboutit’ into motion, to the gorgeously delicate finger picking of ‘Sorry’, the album has a constant uplifting quality to it, even when it veers down different sonic paths.

It’s in the shimmering way that album highlight ‘Iwannabeyourlightagain’ stretches out, immortalising the band’s memories together in each line. It’s also present in the rock-leaning guitars on ‘Safeandsound’, and even the slightly more mellow ‘Everybodyelse’. They are characteristically tight, of course, each masterful in their instrument of choice. Yet, there’s a liberation to that, rather than any rigid structures that the album might play to. Instead, there’s an overwhelming sense of light filtering into each track. They’ve tried on different versions of themselves across over a decade as a band, but the iteration of them on ‘LOVED’ feels like the truest yet - it’s sincere and honest, and fundamentally, celebratory. Parcels have built something contagious here, with a joy that leaves you feeling that little bit lighter when you’re done with it.