PREMIERE | The Parlor, "Underneath the Universe"
The poignant pop world of The Parlor, from left; Eric Krans & Jen O’Connor; press photo courtesy of the artists.
The praxis of progress and the cycles of time fire forward like a blizzard of flame and ice. The histories of our worlds come at us fast, where reckoning and reason takes eons to deduce and sort out for ourselves; the questions of why things happen that we do not fully understand, the hidden and obscure sciences, earth physics and metaphysics that inform the trajectories of shadow plays that percolate beneath the surface. We are always seeking a greater understanding of our lives. Ourselves. The tenets and testaments of purpose. A greater knowledge of the globe that we inhabit. Yet as we surrender to the tides of constant change and acceptance of the past and all of its complexities and calamities that shape us and form the people that we have become today; we bear witness to new levels of enlightenment. A new consciousness that develops and a greater echelon of love and higher grace of living that emerges out of the chrysalis of our collective cocoons.
A couple that has experienced the fires from life's refineries are Jen O'Connor and Eric Krans of The Parlor. Prior to the pandemic they channeled mourning into the heartbreakingly beautiful album Kiku, grappling with immeasurable loss after a second miscarriage that brought the couple closer together in the wake of the unthinkable. Enduring the trials and tribulations with the rest of us from a global pandemic, The Parlor returns with a first listen and look at the breathtaking new single "Underneath the Universe". The pair presents a hymn that a weary and cynical world needs right now. An anthem that recognizes the rock tumbling and tectonic shifts that make us the beautiful humans that we have become. "Underneath" is in praise of the process, observing the hardships that work in turn with the cycles of serendipity that operate as the yang to the yin of balances that move in accordance to their own mysterious and complex alchemies. The Parlor brings us the gospel of a special system of order that arrives out of the continuous storms of chaos that contribute to the extravagant beauty of the self and spirit.
“In the shadows in the back I will wait for you, to open your window and climb out through, and I’ll call to you like an owl in the night, who are you can you take flight, and you’ll come to me in silence in a flash of light, like a revelation oh my my, you are beautiful in your radiance, pure as love, can I have this dance…”
“Underneath the Universe” unlocks the secret science of the mysteries that have made us into the people we are today. The Parlor shares what happens when we recognize each other and ourselves in new ways of honest realization instead of running away and hiding from meeting things head on. “Underneath” is a surrender to love, in praise of the omnipotent power of grace that is greater than the sum of all traumas. Jen & Eric showcase in heart-spun spiritual textures of mesmerizing illuminations what happens next after healing from the wounds of hurt, trading the perilous poisons of the past for the unlimited potential and infinite possibilities that stands at the gates of today and tomorrow. The self-made animated visuals blend together galaxies and connect together cosmic universes of amorous harmonies that resonate throughout the expanses of the solar system (and far beyond). “Underneath the Universe” is an ode to the highest reaches of joy, a celebration of pure, unfettered love shared with a special somebody who has been by your side through the best and worst of times. “Universe” exemplifies a bond that exceeds the lexicons of definitions and adjectives, a connection strengthened tougher than steel by the challenges and tributaries that bring us to the points and places of higher grounds (made of even stronger foundations).
Jen O’Connor and Eric Krans provided some privy insights on their new song, creative and personal notes on catharsis and much more:
“Underneath the Universe” is a song about loving oneself, naked and true. Realizing you and the universe are inseparable and so loving yourself means loving all. It’s about finding truth in the darkness at the center of our being, and remembering we have been and will always be exactly what we are. The song is a prayer: I want to be love.
Since 2020 we've written and recorded a lot of music that we're still organizing for release in the next few years. This track is the first of many upcoming releases.
In March of 2021 Eric released an album of meditative piano music under the name John John the Baptist which can be found here: https://johnjohnthebaptist.bandcamp.com
On the Ecstasy of Catharsis
Jen:
At the age of 42 I'm finally starting to learn who I really am. Who we all are. Truth. Love. Ancient wisdom. Rock. Dirt. Dust. There are times in our lives when bad habits or spaces, jobs or people or ways of living can be honored and gently let go of. Allowing them to flutter to the ground with the leaves. Allowing them to be whipped prematurely off the tree by winds that shake you. Allowing them to turn into dust and dirt and regenerate us into newer versions of ourselves.
By early 2020, like most of us, we felt as if the world had shrunk to a pinhole. Crushed by the weight of personal tragedies and seemingly unending losses we could feel the tunnel narrowing. Had we reached the claustrophobic end? Is the light at the end inevitably imminent? Or have we been tricked into thinking there is a tunnel and there is an end, with light. And instead we are being crushed by the pressure and the light is not the tunnel's end after all, but it is us, emerging as diamonds.
We found that the only way through was to shed everything...on the other side we found lightness of being. Underneath the Universe is about the ecstasy of catharsis. In coming face to face with the depths of darkness and despair, grace was the fruit of our darkest suffering.
Eric:
Our last record, Kiku (2018) was about our multiple miscarriages and the death of the dream of having children together. The making of that record and the subsequent touring really ushered us into a sacred desperation: the experience of a grief process. The trials of oppressive, repeated grief snapped something in us and since early 2020, because of the pandemic, we were given the opportunity to meditate on letting go. Of everything. Of all identity. Every story we had of our past, every story we have been aiming for in the future. Letting go of all defenses. All compulsive behaviors we installed throughout our lives to protect ourselves from pain and suffering. We meditated on each one. Found the core source. The root of the rejection. It was usually traceable to something painful that happened to us at a young age that we were too immature, too inexperienced, too unskilled to assimilate into our being. We were afraid of being destroyed and we vowed never to let ourselves be destroyed. But in response we installed in ourselves a defense mechanism, an avoidance tactic, that triggered fight or flight every time something similar appeared. And we shoved that little immature child into a closet. And we believed that the little immature child was a part of ourselves that was incapable of handling reality. It was better off in the closet where it couldn't betray us ever again. Somehow the collective experience of our grief reminded us that we felt a loss inside of ourselves for all those pieces we felt inclined to suppress or repress.
The definition of catharsis is The purification and purgation of emotions through dramatic art, or any extreme emotional state that results in renewal and restoration. In its literal medical sense, it refers to the evacuation of the catamenia—the menstrual fluid or other reproductive material from the patient.
For some reason, we as humans fear catharsis. Or most of us do. But after experiencing it directly and realizing its power, we began meditating in order to hear ourselves better. To find our knots. To locate our repressions. We started listening to our dreams. Analyzing our dreams. Processing everything together as a couple. Helping each other hear ourselves through discussion. Learning the various voices in our heads. recognizing each compulsive behavior. And then meditating on it until the root was revealed. And in a flash, with all our courage, we allowed ourselves to experience the things we were afraid of. The closet is opened. Something explodes. There's a supernova of realization. What's left is one's true self. That unadulterated child spirit we shoved in the closet is there, we recognize it and it is re-assimilated into our being, making us whole again.
The Parlor’s new single “Underneath the Universe” arrives everywhere August 19. Pre-save here.