Picture Parlour - The Parlour

Given the fuss that surrounded Picture Parlour’s first singles – early press attention, big support slots, the inevitable “industry plant” chatter – there was always a danger their debut album might arrive crushed under its own discourse. ‘The Parlour’ neatly sidesteps that by doing something very simple and very effective: it focuses on the songs. Across eleven tracks, the now-duo build a vivid, self-contained world that makes most of the noise around them feel beside the point.

The parlour of the title is an invented venue, a mental space the band have talked about retreating into while writing. The record does a good job of bringing that concept to life. Opener ‘Cielo Drive’ is all scorched-earth riffing and drama, the sort of track that immediately tells you this is a rock band rather than a vague retro styling exercise. ‘24 Hour Open’ shifts the focus from Hollywood mythology to supermarkets at 3am, marrying siren-like guitars to a lyric about fleeting, mundane connection. It’s a smart move: the record may be drenched in classic rock textures, but it keeps its feet in recognisable, modern grime.

Elsewhere, Picture Parlour prove they can do more than swagger. ‘Used To Be Your Girlfriend’ is a highlight – a big, bruised, slightly absurd break-up song that manages to be genuinely funny and genuinely sad at the same time. The slower material hits hard, too. ‘Ronnie’s Note’ and ‘Around The Bend’ drop the volume and give Katherine’s voice room to crack, revealing a band who understand that tenderness can be as arresting as noise. The closing pair of ‘Norwegian Wood’ and ‘The Travelling Show’ brings things home with a nod to their early single and a curtain-down ballad that underlines how much care has gone into sequencing this as an actual album, not just a collection of tracks.

There are moments where the “jukebox” approach – glam here, country-rock there, a dash of indie – threatens to sprawl, and the influences are not exactly subtle. But what saves ‘The Parlour’ is conviction. The performances are full-blooded, the writing is sharp, and the whole thing hangs together as a statement rather than a moodboard. As a debut from a band who’ve had to spend far too long answering questions about who they are, it’s impressively sure-footed. Step inside and it’s obvious: whatever anyone said before this, Picture Parlour know precisely what they’re doing.