Parcels

Eyes wide open for the ‘Vintage surf rats trying to disguise themselves in the city’ !

This was the loveliest and funniest description of a style we’ve heard so far. But it’s totally on point. Their style is as casual and unique as their sound. Vintage meets electronic, disco beats – and we’re absolutely in love with both, their look and their music. Some say they’re sounding like The Metronomy, we’d prefer to say that their sound is absolutely amazing and rad the same time.

Parcels are Jules (keys, vocals), Louie (keys, vocals), Noah (bass, vocals), Pat (guitar, vocals) and Toto (drums), from Byron Bay, Australia. They’re currently living in Berlin, since a year. As Jackson Dyer, they started playing in Berlin as street musicians. Now they’re also playing venues and other spots. One day in April they had the chance to support Xavier Rudd at Huxleys Neue Welt in Berlin. We had the pleasure to meet and chat with them talented lads after their set.

Who are you?
Parcels is a group made up of five guys with a passion for production and playing live disco.

Where are you from?
A little town called Byron Bay. It’s the most easterly point of Australia.

Where have you met?
We’ve known each other for ages. Throughout school, all of us played music together at some stage. Parcels was formed pretty much the instant we finished our exams.

Why Berlin and what do you think so is special about this city? What is fascinating you?
A lot of Berlin’s fascination to us most likely stems from the fact that it’s about as far away as you could get from where we grew up. But even compared to other European cities, it’s dirtier and uglier but it feels very genuine. Also it’s cheap and seems like the perfect place to start something fresh.

Why did you name the band ‘Parcels’?
In Byron, there’s a very old train station sign bolted up in the middle of Louie’s house which states it in bold letters. We always wanted to use its name for our projects over the years but this was the first which felt like it made sense.

What is your music about and how would you describe your style?
The music is about as close as we can get to pop by incorporating our shared love of old school disco-funk and hip-hop with the current styles of electronic production. It’s about groove and ‘Bee-Gee’s’ style harmonies.

In which way are you influenced and inspired by other artist?
We get inspired by new artists every day but old favourites like Chic and Daft Punk always seem to resurface in our music.

What’s on your MP3/iPod?
Rihanna mostly.

Imagine if you could choose another decade of music and fashion, which one would it be?
It’s always fun to imagine us starting in the 70s where all the music and aesthetics we love were in the mainstream. In reality though, it’s probably nicer to look back on. The best decade for us would be probably be one a little in the future so we have even more stuff to remember and be inspired by.

What means fashion to you?
More than the chosen outfits, it’s whole the visual bit of who you are, I guess. Or who you want to be.

How would you describe your style?
If we’re honest: Vintage surf rats trying to disguise themselves in the city.

What influences you in the way you dress?
We like bold colours and 70s patterns with an appreciation for the chic french aesthetic. Financial restrictions probably influence how we create a look, Reviving second hand clothes, vintage jackets, weathered sneakers and hole-y turtlenecks.

Indispensable piece of clothing for you?
Jules’ now-famous Vintage BMW Racing Overalls will always be held close to our hearts.

What did you pack in your suitcase?
Due to luggage restrictions, some of our suitcases were actually clothes carefully wrapped around guitars and keyboards in flight cases. Most space was taken up by packing the few wooly jumpers we owned, dreading the harsh winters ahead.