Parlour Magic’s New Album “Saturn Return” Is a Kaleidoscope of Sound
On October 24, synthpop trio Parlour Magic transformed an intimate East Village bar into a liminal dreamscape. To celebrate the release of their second album Saturn Return, excited fans gathered for an exclusive party at Heaven Can Wait. As EnVi entered, traces of fog escaped through the door, ushering us from the high-resolution world into Parlour Magic’s domain. Luminous reds, blues, and greens cut through the haze. Round velvet booths lined the walls, occupied by partygoers and a tarot reader shuffling cards in solitude.
Towards the stage, a DJ spun a mix of synthpop and bass-forward tracks. Heart-thumping melodies reverberated throughout the venue as anticipation grew for the main act’s appearance. In the meantime, magician Adam Cardone made his rounds, mystifying each table with his masterful sleight of hand. Comedian Wil Syvince kicked off the show soon after, working the crowd before Cardone took the stage with reality-defying card and blade-eating tricks.
After some time reveling in laughter and awe, the stage lights went off, signaling Parlour Magic’s awaited live performance. Red backlights slowly came on as singer-songwriter Luc Bokor-Smith emerged, his silhouette absorbed in color. The room was soon enveloped in the group’s spellbinding synths and vocals, enhanced by the colored lighting working in tandem with their melodies. A spinning disco ball bathed the crowd in moving rays of light. With each mesmerizing tune and seamless transition between instruments, Heaven Can Wait became Parlour Magic’s musical playground.
Painting a Dreamscape in “Saturn Return”
Leading into the album’s official launch at midnight, partygoers were immersed in the reverie of Saturn Return. Co-produced with award-winning record producer Fab Dupont, the 10-track record draws listeners into Parlour Magic’s evocative “sonic universe.”
“Second time / A couple more sunsets behind the eyes,” Bokor-Smith sings atop steady drums and synths in the album’s opening track. From clocks sliding down walls to spinning rooms and “close encounters,” “Seven Gardens” is rich in surrealistic imagery. These lyrics, combined with Parlour Magic’s hypnotic instrumentals, situate listeners within their alternate reality.
The intergalactic melodies of “Icicle Road” and “Super Eight” follow by evoking the extraterrestrial. Pulsing synths and percussion build anticipation as the speaker’s memories pour out and lose color. In their place, a sense of loss and ambiguity takes over: “And I watch the tape trying to decode / But I’m getting nowhere.”
The album takes a turn with “Empty Penthouse Suites,” a more upbeat tune arising from the tension. Still, the original speaker remains; familiar references to mirrored lights and “speeding through midnight” call back to the opening track. This time, they reminisce about a bygone era symbolized by a deserted room — a scene that haunts them. This suite, presumably once shared with the subject of their attention, is now a difficult sight to behold.
“Slow Dance to Everglow” marks yet another mood shift, mellowing the pace and reinviting cosmic synth elements. “Everglow” refers to a form of bittersweet acceptance: the warmth that transcends and remains after loss. This abstract theme is underscored by the systematic, as the speaker emphasizes their (unsuccessful) efforts to “change [their] interface.” The desire to dwell leaves them in a liminal state of emotion, which is explored further in “Paloma.”
“All alone,” Bokor-Smith’s voice hovers into the void as the beat drops, conjuring the push and pull of trust and disillusion. Chaos is imagined through broken clocks falling from the ceiling and helicopters circling in and out. The stagnation between the speaker and their subject continues in “Crumar Orchestrator,” where vision, shadows, and a fleeting paradise overtake and haunt them. “And now we’re getting fogged out / under these hazy skies / You’re in the middle distance / and I can see for miles.”
The “world as [they] know it” unravels in “Summerlin,” presumably the name of the speaker’s subject. Though a more upbeat melody than its predecessor, images of being lost in space and turning into a ghost convey the speaker’s jaded outlook. Now closer than ever to solitude, “The Readout” reveals that the subject was sent back to Earth. A smooth, stable bassline carries the rhythm, mirroring their attempts at maintaining a sense of stability.
Grief sets in for the speaker in “The Magdalena Room,” where low-pitched synth melodies encapsulate their sorrow. As they prepare to leave for the next destination, they meditate on their lost connection: “Broken clocks and faded memories / Looking out the window / Your body starts to let go.” Shifting away from the tone of “Summerlin,” they also declare to “move away from cynicism” and face this torment. The song — and subsequently Saturn Return as a whole — goes out in a whimper, closing with a long bass decay and dissipating into a silence that speaks volumes.
Parlour Magic will perform with Isaac Delusion on Monday, November 18, at 8:00 PM at Elsewhere – Zone One in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Tickets can be purchased through DICE. In the meantime, be sure to check out Saturn Return, now streaming on all platforms!
Looking for more artists to your playlist? Check out EnVi’s latest Sunday Spin!
