"Philip Parfitt's songs on Mental Home Recordings possess both scars and genius. If Parfitt's previous work lurked within the sharp garage tradition of Bo Diddley, the Velvets and the Stones, he operates now within a quieter idiom: Nick Drake, Ronnie Lane, Syd Barrett. Quieter but not softer: this record will scrub you raw" – Matthew Specktor (The New York Times, GQ, Harper’s, The Paris Review, Fox 2000)

"Imagine a Reed / Dylanesque vocal lacquered in a modern blend of elements of The Church, The Red House Painters and Slowdive… Just listen... Heartfelt and folk-centered with Ride-esque uplifting interjections on the chorus, Parfitt has found an optimal balance between bard and rock star. We love it" – Big Takeover Magazine

"All Fucked Up" written, performed and produced by Philip Parfitt Featuring Alex Creepy MojoAlbum: Mental Home RecordingsA Turntable Friend Records, 2020Phil...

Recently signed to UK/ German label A Turntable Friend Records, singer-songwriter Philip Parfitt presents his new album 'Mental Home Recordings', available on limited-edition gatefold colored vinyl, as well as digitally and on CD with a special booklet.

Philip Parfitt is best known as the founder, guitarist, vocalist and primary songwriter of Britain's The Perfect Disaster. Formed in 1980, the alternative rock band released four albums and reached number fifteen on the UK Indie Chart before splitting up in 1991.

Earlier, Parfitt released the singles 'Somebody Called Me In' and 'All Fucked Up' featuring Bordeaux-based psychedelic folk-rock artist Alex Creepy Mojo. The accompanying video, starring actress Melissa Oxlade, is directed by filmmaker Luigi Dias.

Given the quality and the breadth of Parfitt’s output over the past 40 years, it's clear that he’s far more interested in making his art than in talking about it. After all, with his bands The Perfect Disaster, Oediupussy, and in his solo performances, he has shared stages with such luminaries as Nico, Spiritualized, Spacemen 3, My Bloody Valentine, the Pixies, the Chills, the Jesus and Mary Chain and others.

Parfitt played on Spectrum’s first album with Jason Pierce and guitarist Terry Bickers (House of Love, Levitation) contributed to Oedipussy's album 'Divan'. Parfitt also gave significant starts to Josephine Wiggs (who played in the Perfect Disaster before joining The Breeders) and to the Heliocentrics’ Malcolm Catto, who likewise played on the Perfect Disaster’s first.

It’s a surprise to realize that 'Mental Home Recordings' is only his second solo album, following his 'I'm Not The Man I Use To Be', released in 2014.

When asked where his songs come from, Philip Parfitt says, “I don’t know. I don’t ask, and I don’t often even think about it. I don’t even know what they’re about most of the time. The meaning is only revealed, when at all, later.”

There is a maturity to this artist that allows his songs to reveal themselves to the listener, opening up fresh dimensions. But Parfitt is quick to note that it isn’t simply a matter of passive inspiration. “I always have a pen and notebook and something to record with,” he says. “So even if I don’t know exactly how I’m doing it, I appear to be doing it a lot.”

Awash on a sea of materialism in a time when nearly everything is offered to us as product, it’s a relief to encounter a sensibility like this - one that shines a light into the darkest recesses of our battered psyches. The Velvet Underground, Leonard Cohen, John Cale and Nick Drake did the same - all artists to whom Parfitt’s own output has been compared.

It’s difficult to say where the “defining moment” of a career as long as Parfitt’s is – probably there are several – but 'Mental Home Recordings' is assuredly one. And for an old hand, the new album's release via A Turntable Friend Records is surely navigating familiar waters.

As of October 30, 'Mental Home Recordings’ will be available digitally and on limited purple vinyl and limited black vinyl (both in gatefold sleeve), as well as on CD with a special 8-page booklet. Obtainable via Bandcamp, the detailed artwork is made by painter Fernando Ruibal - a picture puzzle with many things to discover, including on the record shelf.

"When Candy Opera first appeared on the kaleidoscopic early 1980s Liverpool music scene, by rights they should have changed the world" ~ Louder Than War

"Very welcome news as a highly underrated band who is now back with a force. While their previous output is stellar, this new single is even more commanding of attention. This is absolutely stunning, the band reaching higher than ever before" ~ Big Takeover Magazine

Candy Opera reveal their brand new sound for 2021!Liverpool's rejuvenated songsmiths release Tell Me When The Lights Turn Green on 15th January 2021, the sec...

Liverpool's rejuvenated songsmiths Candy Opera present their new single 'Tell Me When The Lights Turn Green'. A carefully crafted, country-esque ballad that perfectly expresses Candy Opera’s new sound for 2021, reflecting on all our yearnings with openness and candour, this song has all the sensibilities of a classic ballad.

This is the second single from their new album 'The Patron Saint of Heartache' (released on November 30), their first collection of new material in nearly three decades. This long-awaited debut album is being released via European / UK label A Turntable Friend Records.

As with the first adrenalin-fuelled single from the album, 'These Days Are Ours', this reflective look at adversity was mixed by Grammy award-winning producer Guy Massey and recorded at Liverpool's Elevator Studios and mastered by Pete Maher (Barry Adamson, The Alarm).

“The song is about trying to find a pathway through life and the realisation that the waters will always be muddied but, with determination and desire, the human spirit can pull through and flourish,” says singer-songwriter Paul Malone.

“We all chipped in on filming the video... a big challenge in the pandemic! The water scene is a depiction of change from the old Candy Opera to the new... a kind of baptism or rebirth representing where we are now as a band”.

Candy Opera were formed in Liverpool in 1982 and went through various incarnations before calling it a day in 1992. By 1985, the band had played alongside the likes of The Pogues, The Go-Betweens and The Redskins, as well as appearing on Granada TV. Reviews in NME, Sounds and Jamming magazine followed.

The band's current line-up is drawn from all eras of the band’s existence and features Brian Chin Smithers (guitar, vocals), Alan Currie (drums), Frank Mahon (bass), Paul Malone (vocals, guitar), Ken Moss (guitar) and Gary O'Donnell (keyboards, vocals, percussion).

Following the overdue release of two archival sets - '45 Revolutions Per Minute' and 'Rarities' (released in 2018 by Firestation Records - their new album 'The Patron Saint of Heartache' picks up where the band left off, with 14 fresh songs ready for discovery of a sound as timeless as any Candy Opera output.

'The Patron Saint of Heartbreak' captures the essence of Candy Opera’s infectious energy and celebrates life with a genuine wonder-lust, whilst delivering the excitement of their live performances. There is a musical and spiritual depth and breadth here, from the knockabout naïve rockabilly of 'Hashtag Text Delete' to the quiet acoustic reflection of 'Freedom Song'. It is clear that every song has been painstakingly crafted in order to earn its place in this body of work. This album holds a mirror up to the lives people lead and all the triumphs and heartaches endured.

This new LP also features a swathe of friends and contemporaries, including Paul Simpson (The Wild Swans) and Phil Jones (Afraid of Mice). The result is an exquisite piece of pop craftsmanship that brings their songs into the light. This is a labour of love born of experience, but retaining the sense of wonder that brought the band together in the first place.

'The Patron Saint of Heartache' LP is available on limited-run green vinyl or limited-run black vinyl, CD with booklet, and digital download. It is available everywhere, including Bandcamp.

Philip Parfitt releases 'Mental Home Recordings' LP via A Turntable Friend Records

Candy Opera present 'Tell Me When The Lights Turn Green' from 'The Patron Saint of Heartache' LP