Melbourne quartet Parsnip play surfy retro rock ‘n’ roll that reflects stated influences like the Raincoats, the Kinks, and the B-52s. They’ll release new album Behold this spring on Upset The Rhythm, and they’re sharing its lead single “The Light” along with today’s announcement. It starts with a drum pattern that takes me back to the Strokes’ “Hard To Explain” before piling on the organ and ’60s girl-group vocals. “Clear as day/ Remember all the things that you used to say,” goes the chorus. “Clear as day/ Remember all the ways that you shift the blame.”

You can definitely dance to this stuff, though as Parsnip’s Carolyn Hawkins explains, “The Light” was inspired by anger:

“The Light” is about having the wool removed from your eyes and seeing everything as it really is, blindingly clear, for the first time. I was thinking a lot about the transformative power of anger in grief and healing, and I guess I also just wanted to express how I was feeling. Rage always produces the catchiest songs.

I was inspired by the Rumi quote “The wound is where the light enters you,” as well as Leonard Cohen’s “Paper Thin Hotel,” which describes the experience of hearing an ex sleeping with someone else in the next room, and his liberation at realising he no longer feels anything. I also included a little interlude that rips off “Nervous Breakdown” by Black Flag, because that felt relevant too.

Listen below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Monument”
02 “The Light”
03 “Duality”
04 “L.O.N.E.”
05 “Placeholder”
06 “Pockets”
07 “Unearthing”
08 “The Babble”
09 “Turn To Love”
10 “Clear Blue Sky”
11 “Swan Song”
12 “Papier-Mâché”
13 “Kutastha”

Behold is out 4/26 on Upset The Rhythm. Pre-order it here.