Music Industry News

Award-winning artist Mel Parsons has today unveiled her captivating new single and video, ‘Circling The City’. This is the third single to be released off her forthcoming album, Sabotage, out June 7.

Tinged with melancholy, reflection and a hint of desperation, ‘Circling The City’ is downbeat indie-folk with a poignant sense of yearning.

“I was packing out from a show one night and the tour van had a flat battery, so the seed of the song actually came from very literal place of having to drive laps around the city at 2am to charge it up. It became somewhat of a metaphor for (my) life in that sometimes you feel like you’re stuck just going around and around in circles with no tidy solution within reach.”

The Lyttleton-based artist has also today released the accompanying video, produced and directed by Parsons herself and filmed and edited by Adam Hogan at LORE Films. Mirroring the theme and tone of the music, the visuals encapsulate the chorus hook “I’m always so tired I am done, I am done, please remember me yeah I used to be fun”.

“I wanted to explore the feeling of monotony certain life experiences bring through the metaphor of driving; being stuck in a car,” explains Parsons. “I always find driving a very contemplative time, often song ideas come to me when I’m driving, or resolutions to things I’ve been mulling over.”

Parsons has recently announced a three-date Aotearoa Tour to celebrate the release of her sixth studio album Sabotage, which is out on June 7. The tour kicks off on June 14 in Christchurch, and will also take in Auckland on June 15 and Wellington on June 16.

Mel Parsons – Sabotage Tour
Friday June 14 – Christchurch (The Piano)
Saturday June 15 – Auckland (Q Theatre)
Sunday June 16 – Wellington (Old St Pauls)

Fans have already been given a taste of what’s to come on the record Sabotage (June 7), with singles ‘Little Sadness’ and ‘Offer Down’ giving a glimpse into the raw and hypnotic music of the album. ’Offer Down’ was met with massive support from local media, with the single featuring on RDU, RNZ, Rollingstone AU/NZ, Newstalk ZB, NZ Herald and more, as well as reaching #12 on the Hot 20 NZ Singles chart upon release.

Parsons’ upcoming record follows on from her fifth and critically-acclaimed album SLOW BURN, which debuted at #3 in the Official Top 40 album charts and #2 in the Top 20 NZ album charts. Previous to SLOW BURN was the album GLASS HEART, which saw her win Best Folk Artist / Te Kaipuoro Taketake Toa at the 2020 Aotearoa Music Awards. GLASS HEART was also a finalist for the 2019 Taite Music Prize and Top 20 finalist at 2019’s APRA Silver Scroll Award.

Dive into the beautifully pensive sonic world of Parsons by listening to today’s release, and don’t miss the chance to witness the magic of her live show on the upcoming tour this June – tickets are available HERE.

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Photo credit: Cartwright Creative