Bogarting the Simspons’ *Arcade Game* with Parentz (from left), Jeremy Sullivan and Jon Hall in a Bart mask; photographed by Claude Cardenas.

As the caustic and turbulent year that was 2024 arrives to an anticlimactic and unnerving end, we find ourselves in a state of resolute repose. Reflecting on the fractured factions that permeate our social/civic discourse, the less than united states of corporate/grey capital interests and all the AI generated end of year wrapped faux flexes — we turn our attentions to the real ones that create community with intention. The folks that have been there since day one, the unwavering allies that have built their own futures while embracing everyone that contributes to the progressive ecosystems that make life beautiful and worthwhile. These are often the brightest lights that are not upvoted to the upper crests of the feeds that favor advertisement and other such sponsored content dedicated to the cults of commerce, or sensationalist tabloid fodder, problematic polemics, or whatever hysteria being kicked up from dodgy influencer trends. They are the ones that offer arts not presented in the decrepit department store pantheons, or big box chains, but they are our neighbors, the folks we find at our favorite pubs, cafes, bookstores, treasured DIY boutiques, and the like that enrich our worlds a thousand times over.

In this spirit of gratitude and grace we present Bay Area institution Parentz and the debut of the visuals for “Freaking Me Out” off the long-awaited mega album 1989. A pop entity that first graced our radars in 2011 with the IP obliterating wonder work Big that showcased Oakland artist Jeremy Sullivan re-envisioning/rearranging in a return to anachronistic alchemy that eschews tired revisionist warping in favor of recreation through resurrection, reconstruction, reformation, and above all re-imagining. The follow-up EP with the decidedly 2010s blogosphere-centric title FP&B<3Z1:FLY cast the bright lights on the patended East Bay inflected sound Parentz would pursue from that moment forward. Spending the next decade releasing a barrage of singles, 1989 rides on the wings of a Pegasus toward new future cool clouds that sport a higher degrees of consciousness whilst tech mining the criminally underutilized, underrated, and antiquated electro pop tropes.

“Freaking Me Out” sends the snazzy and sensational song up to the stratospheres by way of the Bay. With visuals that bounce between the rocky and rustic Albany Bulb and San Francisco's iconic hot spots, Jeremy along with collaborator Jon Hall jump through the quantum leaps of carefully crafted sounds that gleefully graces through the CRT television screen glow to contemporary altered realities. Visually orchestrated by the group's videographer Claude Cerdenas, Parentz trip through the latent latitudes of the spirit and mind while twisting through incredible locales like a 100-plus postcards sprung to vibrant life. The snazzy synth deep dreaming swim-wave is like a time splitting psychotropic odyssey that explores the hyperactivity of the unconscious, while inhabiting everything from tourist stops, rooftops, to the rugged precipices of natural, metropolitan splendor.

Opening up with the eponymous title track, Sullivan and the crew bust out the big sparkling synths that twists into the time slipping streams of nostalgia and wave winding notes that whisk you away to places both near and far. "Back to the Future" blazes like the best track you never heard from 1985, 2015, or 2025 respectively; entering into the fluttering ether of "in 1989 the world started to end (interlude 1)", as the rhythmic keyboards bridge the gulfs between eras and sovereign entities on the gorgeous "LoseCTRL".

"Ghost" haunts like the soundtrack to the Swayze movies that never were, keeping the frequencies buzzing on "an orb fell from the sky (interlude 2)", to hamming it up like dilettantes and debutantes going dumb on a sandy volleyball court on the boisterous and beloved "Beach Body". "Single" mesmerizes wistfully like the summation/distillation of SoundCloud production incarnate on a maximalist scale, the vulnerable hazy beat fuzz romanticism that abounds on "Secret Crush", keeping the album channel surfing with the throwback media collages on "wire in people (interlude 3)", flipping through the notes and hums of indelible broadcasts burnt into the emotive chambers of consciousness on "Channel Surfer", that takes further flight into the time capsule shattering jam "The Message".

The digital MIDIs and rhythm machines kick it valiantly on "All This Time", nightclubbing on the euro underground sleaze & steez of "berlin (instrumental)", the sky show "a meteor shower (interlude 4)" that kicks off the big bloopy key bop "War Games", the communication heart hop of "Talk", taking it to the ledge and the limit with the sexy sax swinging inflections of "Point of No Return". "Fly" sways stealth under the radar through subterranean industrial utility tunnels, further turning the analog dialogues that are sure to ring up terrestrial transmission memories on "TV Off" (Parts 1 & 2).

Jeremy & Jon bring 1989 back to the 2020s in a monumental game of spin the radio selector dial toward retro supernatural stations on "pure horizon from here on out (interlude 5)" that then sets sail toward new formidable horizons in the evocative au revoir of "Offworld". 1989 charts a course that scales in accordance of altering the electrical engineering blueprints of the eighties with the re-jetting and recalibrations toward the scenes, sentiments, sensations, and styles that arrive whenever an individual further explores the arts of previously established and esteemed influential importance.

Jeremy Sullivan of Parentz kindly shared exclusive reflections on what 1989 means to him with insights on the evolution of the creative process:

I love Prince. I was noodling around with a simple descending keyboard line one night and a sort of LinnDrum-esque beat with a super hard swing with an early kick, and it just started to feel so Prince-y and so good. I wanted to make a tribute to him, and it needed to have a few other cool elements: A super melodic but shred-y guitar, and awesome falsetto vocals. Jon ended up putting some sauce on the keys to make them final, and it all fell in to place.

Jeremy & Jon “Freaking Me Out” & the world; video still courtesy of Claude Cardenas.

What is it about from a lyrical standpoint? Well like most of the songs on my 1989 it’s rooted in my own experience around media and how for my generation it built these strong archetypes that became parts of our identity, but how it’s also a sort of like latent trauma that affected our growth, and culture at large. Media concepts from that era became so impactful in culture that we’re still unable to escape them to this day with the endless string of remakes, reboots, and re-imaginings.

Laid up on the rocky shores with Jeremy Sullivan of Parentz; photographed by Claude Cardena.

The TV thing, as is typical, is a metaphor for smartphones and social media, but also self-examination/self-obsession. In this case it’s meant to reflect the distance that can be created in a relationship because one or both people are addicted to this vision they have of themselves that was created by their exposure to media, and they’re so invested in the media they become the media, and lose sight of reality. It’s about how our ideas of love come from songs and movies and tv shows, but love in reality can actually be very different. That ouroboros of art imitating life imitating art.
I explore these themes a lot on the record, 1989, and there’s lots of great artists exploring these themes right now, but I’ll refrain from namedropping.
Bandmate and visual artist Jon Hall and my longtime collaborator videographer Claude Cardenas spent some days in San Francisco and Albany Bulb filming at locations like Lombard Street, and Pier 39, and Jon's rooftop to set up a number of shots that essentially ended up seeming like what if a couple dudes wandered around in some sort of psychedelic haze and became these other characters, Skullmask guy (who is actually PARENTZ itself) and Bart. Jon almost really hurt himself several times skating down Lombard street in the Bart mask. Tourists were very impressed and confused.

Casio jamming with Jon Hall from Parentz; photographed by Claude Cardenas.

Sometimes I start a music video with a really clear idea, story, shotlist, and sometimes we just go out and shoot and have fun and something comes together. This is definitely the latter. It’s honestly probably the thing I enjoy most in life, just wandering through an idea, and seeing where it goes, picking up on what the universe offers you in the moment. It can be really magical. I'm really proud of “Freaking Me Out”. Shout out to the Catman Adam Myatt who came out of retirement to kind of save this record last year at Hand Me Down Studios.
If you want to hear other highlights from the record, check-out “The Message”, a straight-up new jack swing song, “Back to the Future”, somewhere between an 80’s and 10’s pop song, and “TV Off Part 2”, which rapid-fires samples from movies and tv show moments over a repetitive beat, and is sort of the culmination of my 1989.

The new Parentz album 1989 is out now.

PREMIERE | Parentz, "Freaking Me Out"