by Zoë Elaine (@SawdustandGin)
Last August, Brooklyn’s Parrot Dream, comprised of guitarist Gonzalo Guerrero and vocalist Christina Hansen Appel, released their formative debut album, Light Goes, via Good Eye Records. It took the duo two years to write and record, and in that time they changed lineups and landscapes, moving from Santiago, Chile to New York, where Appel had lived previously. Now we look back on their record and its b-sides, released this past July, which together create a thorough fuzz dreamscape.
Any shoegaze record is better with time. Light Goes is a quintessential dream pop effort, where the noise coagulates for a steady ride of disorienting love and other opaque emotions. The album begins with its title track, a booming introduction whose mood may change depending on the listener’s own state of mind: it can feel bright and welcoming during a sunny walk in the city or cool and introspective when paired with its music video. The clip for “Light Goes (In Mines)” stars Kai Pelton during commonplace yet private moments, meant to reflect her humanity, and by extension the humanity of all trans people.
As the rest of the album wears on, the fuzz becomes part of its narrative. “1740” and “Paradise & Prey” create a menacing one-two punch that channels Radiohead with its deliberate vocal delivery. Even “By Your Side” and “Fall Forward” feel connected, not only through a few lyrics, but also through its rhythmic momentum; the first song begins slowly and the next takes that energy and transforms it into a joyous romp of guitars and percussion. Often drums get relegated to the background in shoegaze acts, but throughout this album cycle, contributions from drummer Agustin Faundez Rojas made an impact.
In interviews, Parrot Dream has stated that the principal reason for leaving off the other three songs they had recorded for Light Goes was due to time constraints: only ten songs would fit on the average vinyl release. They laid out the tracks beautifully, allowing “Julio” plenty of room to breathe as the A-side finale, but there is a certain magic on the B-side release. Each new track stands out due to their distinct stories, from the tight-knit imagery of “Woven” to the pleasant encouragement of “The Best” to the ominous folktale in “Grey Falls.”
In the mythology of dreams, parrots are purported to represent communication. While this has nothing to do with the reason for naming their band (they took the name of a green marker Guerrero used at work), it presents an unintended narrative—frequently Light Goes grapples with memory and emotion, and how to share such ideas with loved ones. As of this summer, the band had already begun work on new music, ready to ask more questions about existence over a fog of ambiguity.