Parquet Courts – “Mardi Gras Beads” Video
We last heard from Parquet Courts when they brought their herky-jerk anthem, “Wide Awake,” to the unprepared viewers of Ellen DeGeneres’ daytime talkshow. The post-punk quartet had shared the first two singles from their highly-anticipated forthcoming album— its aforementioned title track and the fiercely energetic precursor “Almost Had To Start A Fight/In And Out Of Patience.” Today they unveil the album’s third single and music video.
“Mardi Gras Beads” picks up where “Wide Awake” left off, both sonically and in the context of the the Brother Willis-directed music video. Co-frontman Austin Brown walks through the streets of New Orleans — the same ones he strutted around in the video for “Wide Awake” — as if he’s searching for something, while his bandmates are searching for him. They post “MISSING GUITARIST” flyers around the black-and-white town until they’re all reunited in a technicolor concert scene.
It’s the first Austin Brown-helmed song we’ve heard from the album, marking a distinct sonic shift from the previously released A. Savage songs. As is typical with Parquet Courts’ discography, Brown provides the tender vulnerability and A. Savage ramps the tempo. “It’s a song about commitment to yourself for better or worse,” Brown says in a statement. Watch and listen below.
Wide Awake! is out 5/18 via Rough Trade Records. Pre-order it here.