Will Shenton
When we first listened to The Parlor's 2015 LP Wahzu Wahzu, what struck us most was the band's ability to seamlessly blend genres that, on paper, didn't have any business being on the same album. Their songwriting abilities transcended those boundaries, and gave the record a narrative feel that was reflected as much in sound and style as it was in lyrics.
Their latest video is an accompaniment to "Sap," the song that marks the halfway point of Wahzu Wahzu and serves as something of an interlude between the dreamy "You Are You Were You Can" and the resoundingly funky title track. A wash of strummed guitars, brushed percussion, and a lazy, doodling saxophone form a backdrop to distant, reverb-drenched vocals, giving the impression of a sunset reverie on a day you don't want to end.
The video is exactly that: several shots of wife-and-husband duo Jen O'Connor and Eric Krans wandering a beach as evening gives way to night. The lighting is gorgeous, and there's a soft focus throughout that furthers the languid, half-awake aesthetic. Like the song itself, it's more vignette than arc, and the two media complement each other perfectly.
"Sap" is a conscious, if temporary reprieve from the chaos and obligations of life, like a child's defiant attempt to squeeze the last few moments from the end of summer vacation. Though it's still July, I know what I'll be watching come September.