by Jake McKenzie
photo by Ebru Yildiz
Trailblazers of the post-punk revival movement, Parquet Courts made some waves with their first few albums, particularly in their hometown of Denton, Texas. But it was after moving to New York City and recording Human Performance that the band earned themselves a spot at the art-punk big table and found themselves a national audience. You won’t have to look too hard to find clear Pavement influences in this band. (In fact, when former Pavement guitarist Stephen Malkmus first heard Parquet Courts, he thought he was listening to himself.) Their latest release Wide Awake! received universal acclaim and has been called “the most woke punk rock record since the heyday of the Clash” by Variety. Though their success and positive press has grown exponentially, this DIY quartet has not sanded off any of their rough edges. With two frontmen and a deep well of rock bangers, Parquet Courts will offer the confident one-two punch of a band in its prime.
