If You Wanna? / Hoxton Hair / Closing Time

JEEPSTER

Whilst there may be nothing fresh or original about the ska tinged indie rock that Glasgow five piece Parka bash out, one listen to latest single IF YOU WANNA? is all thats needed to bring a huge smile to your face.

Going for the big obvious melodies and simple crashing powerchords, IF YOU WANNA? is delirious power pop that wears its heart firmly on its sleeve; a song centred around a massively hook laden chorus and unmistakable feel good attitude.

Ploughing similar musical ground to The View, Parka look likely to repeat that bands success; flipside HOXTON HAIR another supercharged slice of melodic punk pop that only further raises their profile.

An impossibly infectious single, IF YOU WANNA? deserves to catapult Parka onto huge success.

Late 2004 and Parka lead singer/songwriter Matt Thomson, becoming tired of his music studies at Perth College of Music, decides to head back to sunny Glasgow and put his collection of home recordings to good use. Music shops, internet and colleges were scoured for players and finally February 2005 saw the birth of Parka as a 4 piece indie/electro rock outfit with the smiley energy of a drummer called Neil, the calm presence of bassist – Ian, and the eerie strangeness of a keyboard technocrat named Mark. Matt’s charming, childlike stage energy helped to win the band the attention they deserved, even back in the early days of their low-fi casio-infused moments.

A year down the line they were offered a single deal for their manic anthem ‘Disco Dancer’ through influential tastemaker 7” label Worst Case Scenario. Summer 2006 brought Parka to London in preparation for their debut single where they found themselves living in an old strip club in Whitechapel, resplendent with pole in the living room and chair screwed to the floor outside the shower cubicle! First time guests to the Parka residence must perform at least one initiation pole dance for the band.

‘Disco Dancer’ took many by surprise, winning Zane Lowe’s Fresh Meat on Radio 1, getting playlisted on XFM with the video (complete with balloon drum kit, guitar and sax) making it onto The Box and Q. The video was directed by creative collective 1 in 3, who have also made the video for the new single ‘If You Wanna?’ which is out in May.

The bigger labels came calling and Jeepster won the race for their signature whilst the band continued to claim London’s indie clubs as their own, toured with Boy Kill Boy, opened for The Automatic and The Enemy and sold out Glasgow’s King Tuts.

Produced by Stephen Hague (New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, Blur), Parka’s first single on Jeepster, ‘If You Wanna?’ will infect dance floors and indie clubs across the UK with a bad case of wild abandon upon its May 7th release date.

Mr Matty

James

Ian

Mark

Neily "bingbongs" Johnson

Parka>www.parkamusic.com

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