Porcelain Parrot’s newest single, “firehead,” is a whisper of self-belief wrapped up in a dense combination of fuzz, grit, and sincere expression. Serving as the first morsel of the artist’s summer EP due by July 11, “firehead” finds the essence of second and fourth-wave emo’s histrionics and an emphasis on gauzy shoegaze mist, all together through the lens of an intimate solo recording.
Written in high school as a reaction to a falling out with a best friend, the song is a time capsule, venomous, sure, and deeply introspective. There is also a feeling of catharsis here, an ending that has been coming for a long time.
Inspired by acts such as Free Throw, Algernon Cadwallader, and Macseal, the song buzzes with energy and purpose. Stacked guitar tracks swirl and crash into each other like waves, and the doubled vocals run through an 1176 compressor, putting the emotion on full blast, punching through to lend Firehead its unique emotional heft. The bass, lush and heavy due to an Avalon VT737, keeps the frenzy grounded in something you can touch. It’s a gritty analog quality lacking in many of today’s radio tracks.
What makes this release even more poignant is that it could very well be the final track solo recorded by Porcelain Parrot. Upcoming releases will also include vocals by longtime live collaborators Cami Caudle and Ethan Matthews, who’ve been instrumental in shaping the group’s sound on stage. But “firehead” is a full-circle moment for the artist, proof that even when others didn’t see it, he did. “firehead” is a refreshingly idiosyncratic, analog blast of artistic autonomy. It’s emo, shoegaze, indie, but more than that, Porcelain Parrot is finally coming into his own.
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