Since 2010, Parquet Courts have been creating music from a place of nonchalance. Earnestness isn’t avoided, but it’s always offset by indifference, self-deprecation and dry wit. Parquet Courts may be non-committal, but they are committed to not giving a shit. On their fifth studio album, Human Performance, the band supply a balanced serving of art-rock, no wave and indie rock.
Opener Dust is driven by a repetitive krautrock riff, speaking to the wealth of influence that the band mine from, with nods to The Fall and Suicide. “Dust is everywhere – sweep,” is a call to arms, but a futile one, as inevitably the dust will return. It’s a clever metaphor for human existence and the monotonous slog through everyday minutiae towards a certain end.
Human Performance is a regretful ballad that backs up the nihilism of the previous track, albeit with melodies a little too similar to Instant Disassembly from 2014’s Sunbathing Animal. I Was Just Here is a manic mess; robotic vocals, sparse guitars and heavy tom usage makes for a trudging minimalist number.
Production wise, Human Performances boasts an array of sounds. Captive of the Sun is washed out in reverb, with slide guitar and glockenspiel adding another layer of sound; One Man, No City ends in a messy Velvet Underground style outro; Berlin Got Blurry is characterised by a spaghetti western inspired guitar line; and the tubes are driven hard to add some grime to Two Dead Cops.
There are signs that Parquet Courts’ creative pool might be drying up but even the songs on Human Performance that we feel like we’ve heard before are well considered and crafted. Even an average album by Parquet Courts is an enjoyable one.
BY KRYSTAL MAYNARD
