Album Review: Brunch

Otautahi indie-pop groover and purveyor of ‘Seriously Engaging Social Media Content’, Jed Parsons, has returned with his sophomore effort Brunch. A smorgasbord of bouncy, 60’s inspired, guitar-pop complete with tasty mimosa melodies.

Where his 2018 debut album Midnight Feast felt more like a collection of great songs with a wider variation of stylistic influence, on Brunch, Parsons’ composing shows more focus. 10 equally great songs that feel more cohesive and together as an album. Cohesive they may be, each song still manages to shine on its own as delectable indie guitar-pop.

Parsons has perfected a truly ‘Kiwi’ artform. Managing to blend a slightly nonsensical, deadpan humour while not shying away from weighty subject matter. A quick glance through the track list, an inattentive surface level listen and a browse through witty social feeds, one might mistake Parsons for a comic focused writer. Songs like Playstation and Porn may indicate silliness, but Parsons manages to take the “song written as a joke” and actually give it some thought and relevancy. A tale “of unconditional love”, the song challenges it’s obvious absurdity with subtle beauty, a soaring chorus, and delicious harmonies. Playfulness is always round the corner too, the track 25 swings from a more mellow introspective mode into a bouncy breakdown before it’s close.

10 songs is my ideal length for an album. It’s much harder to let it get away on you and succumb to eventual filler material, of which you’ll find none of it here. The 10 songs on Brunch are beautifully crafted, polished with personality and classically original.

Jed Parsons may only be two albums into his journey as a solo artist, but he is already showing his craft as one of New Zealand’s most top notch songwriters. Brunch is just what it says is. Best among friends with just a classy amount of indulgence.

Standout tracks: All of them are just darn well good.