Toronto-born, London-based Tess Parks is known for her collaborations with the Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Anton Newcombe — we posted a remix they worked on together back in 2017 for Jim Jarmusch’s band SQÜRL — but now she’s preparing to release her first solo album since 2013’s Blood Hot. The new one is called And Those Who Were Seen Dancing, a reference to this Nietzche quote: “And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”

“In my mind, this album is like hopscotch,” Parks says in her official album bio. It continues:

These songs were pieced together over time in London, Toronto and Los Angeles with friends and family between August 2019 and March 2021. So many other versions of these songs exist. The recording and final completion of this album took over two years and wow – the lesson I have learned the most is that words are spells. If I didn’t know it before, I know it now for sure. I only want to put good out into the universe.

Lead single “Happy Birthday Forever” is out today along with a video that seems to be built from footage of Parks’ own childhood dance class. It’s a droning, deeply rhythmic, slyly catchy track that piques my interest about the rest of the record. Watch below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Wow”
02 “Suzy & Sally’s Eternal Return”
03 “Happy Birthday Forever”
04 “We Are The Music Makers And We Are The Dreamers Of Dream”
05 “Brexit At Tiffany’s”
06 “Old Life”
07 “Do You Pray?”
08 “Good Morning Glory”
09 “I See Angels”
10 “Saint Michael”

And Those Who Were Seen Dancing is out 5/20 on Fuzz Club/Hand Drawn Dracula. Pre-order it here.