Hear It First: Parsonsfield, ‘WE’
I read something on Twitter the other day – and I can’t remember who wrote it, so apologies if it was you. It went something like this: “Sometimes it’s ok to acknowledge that you’re tired. Sometimes it’s ok to not fill every second with something. Sometimes it’s ok to say, ‘I need a break.'” In this world we live in, this world that’s a constant push toward doing more, being more, and having more, this reminder to pause and to consider is something we all need from time to time.
The 5-piece band Parsonsfield made it a point to pause recently. They stopped touring for a couple of months – quite a change of pace for this non-stop Massachusetts quintet – and focused solely on creating and recording a new 5-song EP, ‘WE.’
“‘WE’ is not about you and me or even ‘us,’ the band,” the musicians say. Instead, “it’s about finding our way in the world one day at a time, trying to live out each moment until the sun goes down.” Taking life one day at a time – that’s certainly something this group knows about. Founded in 2010, and formerly known as Poor Old Shine, they’ve undergone some sound changes as well as the name change. And yet, Parsonsfield just keeps on coming back, reinventing themselves a bit with each new album while maintaining a core belief in the power of voices and instruments (oh so many instruments!) raised together in song and in sound.
Despite ‘WE”s short length, the band touches on more than a few of life’s major themes: depression, love, loss, fear, living life to the fullest – the list goes on. From the opening “Light of the City,” which, for all that it’s a rich, fully orchestrated song, is really a thoughtful contemplation on being utterly alone, to the closing “Kick Out the Windows” (my favorite), a song which raises a fist against complacency and ends on a question, ‘WE’ is about appreciating life in the moment, and about being content with what you’ve got, rather than constantly searching and moving and looking toward something new.
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‘WE’ is out this Friday, March 9th on Signature Sounds Recordings, and is available for pre-order now via iTunes and Amazon.com.
