Pomegranate brings cosmic aura and acoustic warmth
Emerging from a period of quiet since her 2022 release, Tess Parks introduces her third studio album, Pomegranate. Scheduled for release on October 25, 2024, via Fuzz Club and Hand Drawn Dracula, the album comprises nine tracks that meld psychedelic space-pop atmospheres with acoustic ambience. Collaborating closely with producer and longtime band member Ruari Meehan, Parks presents an album that stays true to her roots while embracing novel sonic explorations.
Artist: Tess Parks
Release Date: 2024-10-25
Genres: Indie Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Space Rock
Label: Fuzz Club, Hand Drawn Dracula
Description: Review of Tess Parks' album Pomegranate with nine tracks of space-pop and acoustic warmth releasing on October 25, 2024.
The opening track, Bagpipe Blues, immediately immerses the listener in a kaleidoscopic soundscape. Its dreamy, elongated textures evoke a cosmic ambience reminiscent of early Spiritualized, yet it maintains an analog warmth that is distinctly Parks. The track sets the stage for an album that fuses ethereal atmospheres with psych rock roots.
California’s Dreaming, the lead single, melds pop sensibilities with psychedelic undercurrents. Featured in Tim Burton’s upcoming film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, this very catchy song captures the essence of ’60s psychedelia embodying a wistful aspiration tinged with subtle melancholy.
Koalas and “Lemon Puppy” drift through the album like luminous clouds, their arrangements a delicate weave of shimmering guitars and reverb-soaked atmosphere.
As the album progresses, Parks guides listeners with her slow, hypnotic, husky voice through varying shades of introspection. Acoustic elements intertwine with electric textures, creating pockets of space where melancholy and nostalgia coexist without overwhelming. Moments of stripped-back simplicity provide contrast, allowing the more expansive tracks room to breathe.
The centerpiece, Charlie Potato, unfolds like a slow-motion fever dream. Its extended runtime allows for a gradual build, with acid jazz undertones coloring the edges of Parks’ psychedelic palette. Throughout Pomegranate, Parks maintains a delicate balance between the ethereal and the tangible. There’s a handcrafted idiosyncrasy to the album, a sense that each sonic element has been carefully placed and allowed to settle naturally.
Crown Shy brings listeners back with analog sounds and vintage nuances, while Running Home to Sin is a spacey, psychedelic number that takes its time, unafraid of the spaces between notes. Sunnyside adds another layer of dreamy space-pop to the album’s atmospheric mix. The album closes with Surround, a fitting end to a record that unfolds with unhurried grace.
The album takes Tess Parks in a new direction, featuring Francesco ‘Pearz’ Perini on piano and organ, with Marco Ninni on drums in tracks like ‘California’s Dreaming,’ ‘Koalas,’ and ‘Crown Shy.’ Molly Lewis’s evocative whistling appears in ‘Koalas,’ while Kira Krempova’s flute colors ‘Charlie Potato’ and ‘Bagpipe Blues.
Pomegranate is immediately approachable without sacrificing depth. The album’s layered arrangements reveal themselves over multiple listens, which isn’t a big deal, as the tracks are all gratifying to listen to. The album avoids dramatic shifts, instead favoring subtle changes and intricate arrangements. Throughout Pomegranate, there’s a clear sense of identity. Her raw, gravelly vocals add a resonant edge to the amalgam of vaporous and psychedelic rock elements, creating an experience that is quietly absorbing and genuine. Parks doesn’t stray from her psychedelic roots but refines them, producing an album that’s coherent without being monotonous.
Matteo Damiani is an Italian photographer and author. Curator of the sites Retrofuturista.com; weirditaly.com; china-underground.com and others
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