Hard-rock act the Parlor Mob will release their fifth LP, Dark Hour, on August 16th via Brittania Row Recordings/BMG. The New Jersey band previewed the album with the blazing lead single “Someday.”
“Do I look stupid? Who are you ‘crazy’?” frontman Mark Melicia belts on the stadium-tailored track. “If you’re the devil, baby, hell feels amazing.” The singer alternates between a bluesy croon and a rhythmic delivery that flirts with modern hip-hop. The arrangement also expands beyond capital-R rock, layering in electronic pulses and buzzing synth tones.
The band paired “Someday” with a lo-fi video featuring long stretches of motorcycle drives, sped-up performance footage and random shots of the band members’ faces.
For Dark Hour, the Parlor Mob worked with producer Malay (Frank Ocean, Zayn), founder of Brittania Row, a collaboration that pushed the band to experiment with non-rock sounds.
“We aimed to add modern perspective to old school musicality,” Melicia said in a statement. “We asked ourselves, ‘How can we bring rock ‘n’ roll into the current zeitgeist, so it reflects what’s going on in other genres?’ We embraced dynamics, tones, synthesizers and textures more synonymous with hip-hop or R&B production than rock. The duality extends to the lyrics. We were exploring the idea that light and darkness run through everything and exist for everybody. On all of the songs, darkness outlines the light moments as hope and light outline the dark portions.”
He also noted that the band and producer felt an immediate chemistry in the studio. “Malay is from a completely different musical world than we are,” he said. “On paper, it’s strange for a guy who mostly does pop and R&B to work with a rock band, but there was incredible synchronicity between us. We met the right dude who could take us where we need to go and someone we could grow with. It was exactly what we needed at exactly the right time.”
The Parlor Mob will promote the record this fall on a U.S. tour supporting Reignwolf, in addition to festival slots at Louder Than Life and Aftershock. They will announce a run of headlining dates soon.
The Parlor Mob – Dark Hour Track List
1. “All I’m Holding Onto”
2. “House of Cards”
3. “Someday”
4. “Setting with the Sun”
5. “Gun in My Hand”
6. “The Spark (Interlude)”
7. “Dark Hour”
8. “So Low”
9. “No Harm”
10. “Not Your World”