Q&A: Parsonsfield on the Emotional Extremes of New EP, 'WE'

With four releases under their belt, Massachusetts-based quintet, Parsonsfield -Antonio Alcorn, Chris Freeman, Harrison "Whale" Goodale, Erik Hischmann, and Max Shakun - has garnered attention and critical praise from outlets such as the New York Times, American Songwriter and Folk Alley, establishing them as a musical force whose blend of bluegrass, folk, and more is nothing short of dynamic, innovative - and infectious.

On March 9th, the band will release their new EP, WE, a five-song collection that is highlighted by lyrical introspection, deft musicianship, tight harmonies, and memorable melodies. Ahead of its release, Chris Freeman took the time to chat about the EP and its dual nature, share the stories behind the songs, and more.

Releasing on March 9th, WE is your fourth release. Did you approach anything differently this time around?
We always do things a little differently, but this was the first time we had a chance to dive into a record at home before going into the studio.  We worked on demos and dissected the songs because we wanted to enter the recording process more informed and with a better understanding of the songs.

Another thing we did differently this time was that we recorded in a real studio. We previously recorded in an old farmhouse in Maine and an abandoned ax factory in Connecticut, but this time we headed to Dimension Sound in Boston to work with our producer, Dan Cardinal, who helped us maintain the vibe we had found in our little home studio.
 
Did you find working with him to be collaborative?
Definitely. He’s a great producer who made us feel confident, but he’s also an amazing engineer who had all of these toys and tricks to get the sound just the way we wanted. He used some intricate techniques, like deep compression on the drums, that are beyond my capacity to understand but made everything come out in such a wonderful way. It was an interesting and complex recording process, but in the end, we were able to find what we were hoping to find in the demos and maintain the integrity of where the sound came.

Where does the title of the EP originate from?
WE is almost a bipolar record in the sense that it’s called WE  but it’s not about a group of people - it's about the voices in our heads. Highs and lows happen for everyone, but with what we do it can be quite heightened. We have those voices that tell us we are superstars one minute and others that tell us we’re wasting our lives away in a van. Over the past six years of doing this, we’ve ridden those waves and experienced a lot of self-doubt, loss of confidence, and the feeling of not knowing what comes next in life. This whole EP centers around those extreme times when you feel like can’t get out of bed and the days when you feel like you can’t get in bed. 

​There are four originals and one surprising cover on WE. Were the originals written since the previous album [2016’s Blooming Through the Black]?
It’s a combo of old and new. ​For example, we wrote “Take Me Back” before the last record came out and have been playing it live for years where “Go Find Yourself” is one we played live for the first time on this tour. Antonio was a big force on this record. He started writing a lot of songs, but we were all involved in fleshing them out and making sure that every one was focused and as emotionally real as it can be.

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Lyrically there’s so much emotion and introspection, but the melodies supporting those songs never leave you without the feeling that despite those waves, everything will turn out okay. WE begins with the lovely “Light of the City,” why was that right song to open the record?
“Light of the City” was inspired by a phone call Antonio had with his cousin who was living in Brooklyn at the time and feeling down and alone. Those are emotions we feel at times too, especially when we drive to a new venue and don’t know anyone there. The song encompasses the highs and lows of the feelings you have when you’re in a busy, populated city, yet the energy doesn’t penetrate your skin and you feel more alone than ever.

Those are feelings many of us who have lived in big cities can relate to. “Go Find Yourself,” to me, is particularly moving. Is there a story behind that song that you can share?
It’s nostalgic. I think of it as our anti-Google maps song. For a lot of us, the way we grew up leads us on this path where we’re set to be, and certainly joining a band and traveling around in a van was not what our parents, who are fully supportive of us, had I mind (laughing). "Go Find Yourself" is about those times when you feel like you’re not meant for a given path. You feel sad and alone in the moments, but then realize you have found something that you love and decide to go for it and enjoy the ride.

Parsonsfield has done covers before, but the version of “Santa Monica” is beautiful. Why did you include that song on the project?
We put that one on there because we felt it fit the record. “Santa Monica” is one song we grew up hearing on the radio, yet not necessarily understanding it’s depth. It wasn’t until we read it more like a poem that we found the depression and emotion in the song. For us, we wanted to bring it down to a singer-songwriter mode, but also put a little bit of an island feel to it, giving it those same extremes that are throughout the record.

We had talked about the title, but what about the artwork, which features a weathervane?
Antonio took that picture, which later became the name of the record, while we were on tour. Later, when we were going through the photos, we got a different feeling from that one than we had when we were actually there. And so, we made it the album title and cover.

You know, there’s really no point in putting a physical album out that doesn’t feel like a piece of art itself, and we wanted to do something special here. Every physical copy uses double-sided tape to hold down denim material on the outside of the EP, which gives it a cool feel when you touch it. We worked with some very talented friends of ours, including Connor Millican, IdleWilde Printing, and Hartford Denim Company, and we’re just really happy with how it all came together.

It's a very unique idea.
Parsonsfield spends a great deal of time on the road. Is there anywhere new you’re going this year or someplace you’d like to go?
We were just contemplating that in the van. We’re going to Texas and SXSW for the first time, so we’re excited for that. Then we’re headed to Oklahoma, and after that we only have about four more states in the continental U.S. that we haven’t played. We’ve been all over most of Canada too, but we haven’t yet played Halifax, and we really want to. There are some awesome songs about Halifax that we grew up playing and even though I’m not sure if anyone there knows who we are, we really want to head there to play (laughing).

Parsonsfield play NYC March 8th
Mercury Lounge
Doors 630pm
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