Though Parquet Courts just released a new album, Sympathy For Life, in October, the New York City indie tastemakers still have gas left in the tank. On Tuesday, Parquet Courts debuted a new single, “Watching Strangers Smile”, live on Ellen.
The song actually came from the same recording sessions that birthed Sympathy For Life. The track’s simplistically infectious keyboard hook signals it as a clear relative of the band’s new party-inspired LP, its seventh overall. Though the instrumentation gives off a loose, friendly atmosphere, A. Savage‘s barking vocals suggest the shredded DNA of the New York outfit fans have come to know over the past decade.
“Interestingly enough, this song is the b-side to the ‘Black Widow Spider’ single, which was released only in Japan via Big Love Records,” A. Savage said in a statement. “The music was recorded during the sessions for Sympathy for Life, but it was left unfinished. I recorded the vocals on my own to sort of keep from going stir crazy that first lockdown summer. Apologies to my neighbors for the long afternoon spent screaming these vocals in my bedroom.”
The performance on Ellen comes ahead of an impending spring 2022 North American tour for Parquet Courts, set to begin on February 27th in Asheville, NC. Watch the band perform “Watching Strangers Smile” on Ellen and visit its website for tickets and a full list of tour dates. The single will hit streaming services tonight, January 11th, at midnight. Parquet Courts’ single “Homo Sapien” off Sympathy For Life was featured on Live For Live Music‘s Best of 2021 playlist.
Parquet Courts – “Watching Strangers Smile”