Parsonfield

Parsonsfield, praised for making “the most jubilant and danceable indie roots music this side of the Carolinas” (NPR), is a folk-rock outfit known for their rich harmonies, vibrant songwriting and energetic live performances.

One listen to Happy Hour On The Floor, the band’s third full-length release, and it’s clear just how liberated Parsonsfield has become. Produced by Benjamin Lazar Davis (Joan As Police Woman, Okkervil River), the record fuses the group’s rustic instrumentation and timeless sense of songcraft with dreamy synthesizers and vintage drum machines. The arrangements here are broad and spacious, often built off spare, hypnotizing loops that fuel the songs’ mesmerizing drive, and the band’s performances are deliberate and economical to match, substituting lean, careful construction in place of the strummed exuberance that defined much of their early work. The result is a record more reminiscent of modern indie pop than old-school string bands, a collection that pushes the group far beyond the perceived boundaries of its sound, even as it shines a spotlight on the heart and soul of what’s always made Parsonsfield’s music such a joyous revelation.

“When we started writing and recording, we realized that there weren’t any restrictions on what we could do. It came with this boundless sense of musical freedom where anything felt possible,” says lead vocalist Chris Freeman. “The experience taught us to really hone in on the core of what we love about making music together.”