Parallels "It was a nice change from working alone"
The two members of Parallels met in 2004, brought together by a thin, white English Duke. Yet while David Bowie won’t stake a great claim to their driven yet dreamy take on disco, it was at his concert that they both realised they shared ideas about what they thought music should sound like.
“[Since meeting] we knew that our tastes in music were similar. And we’d always play our solo songs to each other first because it was easy to be critical, and made us respect the other’s opinion. We thought that our writing styles could compliment each other’s so we began writing together [late last year]”, says Cam.
Originally conceived as a solo project, it was only after quitting his day job as live drummer for Crystal Castles and joining up with songwriter/vocalist Holly Dodson that Parallels became a fully formed band. As Cam explains, “It was a nice change from working alone and offered a new kind of creative fulfillment. We both admire artists – no matter the genre – who seem to have strong artistic integrity and good hooks.”
Good on them for following this remit too, because artists of integrity and hooks are prevalent all over tracks like Midnight Voices and Ultralight, with references to Giorgio Moroder and Stevie Nicks , as well as more contemporary types like Sally Shapiro . There’s pulsing, driven bass, glimmering synths and even twittering bits that might have been taken right out of the Halloween soundtrack . Plus Holly’s vocals are an alluring echo of True Blue-era Madonna.
Live, they bring on board Joey Kehoe from Japanese synth band Tuxedomask , which allows them to “re-create songs onstage by keeping them as true to the originals as possible, without sacrificing that ‘live’ element.” Yet aside from the imminent UK excursion (the pair are Toronto-based) there’ll be a limited 12’ on Thisisnotanexit soon, while another EP will follow with plans afoot to “get in the studio again soon”. Maybe they’ll even find time for some Bowie influences on the next one.
