Brothers Ben and Adam Parker are on a winding musical journey together. From Nosferatu D2 to Tempertwig to The Superman Revenge Squad Band, each iteration of the duo's musical collaboration has been a cross-section of indie rock and alternative emo sounds. The Parker brothers' most recent band bears the name My Best Unbeaten Brother, which consists of the familial pair and bassist Ben Fry, with whom the former two have not collaborated since the last days of Tempertwig in 2004.
Until recently, the South London-based trio released one single: "Slayer on a Sunny Day"off of Joyzine’s “20 Years of Joy Vol. 2” compilation album. The song earned praise from BBC Radio 6 Music, Various Small Flames, Austin Town Hall and START-TRACK, as well as airtime on college radio stations across the country.
The debut single of My Best Unbeaten Brother will be followed by a debut mini-album titled “Pessimistic Pizza,” set for release on June 28. Two lead singles have already been released --- "Time On Our Hands, Spider-Man" on May 10 and "Extraordinary Times" on May 24 --- and the final lead single, “Blues Fatigue” will drop on June 7.
The album maintains a cohesive sound from start to finish, highlighting the stream-of-consciousness style of lyrics and urgency from drums and bass. This style is exemplified in the lead single, "Time On Our Hands, Spider-Man," which possesses the grit and lack of fullness that only a true indie-emo track can pull off.
Other lead singles like “Blues Fatigue” and "Extraordinary Times" distinguish themselves by including acoustic moments or unharmonious simultaneous voices. The latter is a standout track on the album with multiple suite-style sections exemplifying the balance between melancholia and urgency. Other highlights on the album are due to the drumming, which is best demonstrated in “A Song About Double-Crossing a Friend” and “Close-up Magic.”
In a provided press release, “Pessimistic Pizza” is described by Ben Parker as “seven songs by three men from Croydon inspired by getting older, getting sadder, getting angrier with a post-Brexit world where The Smiths have been ruined by the actions of the ex-singer.”
The album is also driven by the guitarist and vocalist's recent introduction to fatherhood, and the accompanying realizations about life and finding meaning in ways that a younger version of himself could not see.
The meaningful themes on the album create a dichotomy between life and death that can only be expressed by people who have lived and learned the art of letting go, as is explained in the track of the same name. “The Art of Letting Go” contains the most emotion from an otherwise stylistically monotone lead singer, through a technique in which his excess of emotion makes it difficult to get the words out.
The previous work of the Parker brothers was met with positive reviews from Pitchfork, Drowned In Sound, The Line of Best Fit, DIY Magazine, BBC Radio 6 Music and Public Radio International. The duo’s off-center musical chemistry has earned them the respect of fellow musicians like Art Brut, Johnny Foreigner and Los Campesinos! This theme throughout their collaboration is maintained in the upcoming album, while simultaneously introducing new themes of hope and meaning.
On Nosferatu D2’s track "A Footnote," Ben Parker concluded “every band I’ve ever loved has let me down eventually / The worst album will always be the last one,” but this declaration does not seem to be a concern on the singer and guitarist's most recent album. “Pessimistic Pizza” walks the line between growing pains and the joys of maturity, in an emotionally charged and musically dynamic way.
