Picture Parlour release debut album ‘The Parlour’ External Inbox
Today, Picture Parlour are ready to welcome you inside The Parlour, their highly-anticipated debut album with focus single ‘$4 Fantasy’. Theirs is a surreal world shaped by Northern Soul culture, 70s rock’n’roll and the dive bars and clubs that birthed their sound, and The Parlour is the fictional manifestation of the truths that brought them together. The magnetic force shared between frontwoman Katherine Parlour and lead guitarist Ella Risi was born there, and in many ways, they stepped through its doors together and never left. These eleven songs are your invitation to step inside. The time of your life awaits you…
Speaking on their vision for The Parlour, the band share: “One through line in this process was that we kept finding ourselves returning to this one state of mind, which became known as The Parlour. It kept us sane, kept us swinging and consistently reminded us of who we are and what Picture Parlour is at its core. It’s magical to now present this place where people can hide away with us and experience our strange world. With any universe, a spectrum of emotion and experiences are at play.
In The Parlour, we explore a wide emotional spectrum through the varying moods of all eleven tracks. As with our live shows, we’re here to take our listeners on a unique journey as authentically as possible. It’s not always pretty, or neatly packaged. All we’ve ever wanted is to set an intense and indescribable mood and to nurture that electricity for the entire sonic and visual experience.”
The record began when the pair were introduced by a mutual friend at The Castle, an independent venue in Manchester – a fateful night which changed the trajectory of their lives forever. The spirit of those endangered places is essential not only to the Picture Parlour’s origin story and the concept of the album itself, but how Picture Parlour show up in the world. Earlier this summer, they embarked on an Independent Venue Tour in association with Music Venue Trust to protect, support and celebrate the real manifestations of “The Parlour” across the country.
Written between Katherine’s home in Liverpool, their new home in London and finally Nashville, the DNA of these places is etched onto The Parlour’s walls. Their ambition is clear: for you to feel like a member of The Parlour, whether you’re walking into the venue for the first time or you’re a regular at the bar. The mood is set – from debauchery and bad habits, to loss and grief. It’s an unashamed, fun and bold rock’n’roll anthology of Katherine and Ella’s lives as frequenters of this magical place.
‘The Travelling Show’ is the final single following Picture Parlour’s long-awaited return since their debut EP Face In The Picture (2024). It’s the successor to the ‘Cielo Drive’, a 24-karat rock anthem cocked and loaded with West Coast swagger and the red-blooded ‘Who’s There To Love Without You?’ and the Lost In Translation homage ‘Talk About It’with its video shot in Tokyo. If the singles are anything to go by, this is no subtle reintroduction – and a statement of intent for what awaits you in The Parlour.
The album will be released physically on a very limited run of vinyl with retailers, and 100 hand-numbered fan editions of the record will be available on the band’s store.
Picture Parlour has been the fascination of the live circuit before a single track had been released into the world; infusing the attitude of The White Stripes with the theatricality of Siouxsie and the Banshees, they earned a co-sign from Courtney Love following their Windmill headline show which transformed their trajectory. From nocturnes to nightmares, their histrionic transmission across South London and beyond has earned them recognition from all quarters. Their live shows evoke a sense of nostalgia, transporting audiences to another era, yet maintaining a startlingly fresh edge.
