Day/Night

With attention spans seemingly shrinking by the day, brave is the band that’s prepared to release a sprawling 19-track double album. Oh, and did we mention it’s a concept record based on the circular nature of life? And that it’s inspired by Parcels’ experiences while writing in a forest on the east coast of Australia at the start of 2020, when catastrophic bushfires were followed weeks later by horrific floods? So far, so bold. Musically, there are elements common to Day/Night and the band’s self-titled 2018 debut—the Daft Punk-esque smooth funk of “Somethinggreater” and the sweeping ’70s disco-soul of “Famous” and “Free”—but Day/Night is also a more introspective proposition (“Thefear,” “Nightwalk”). The swooning strings that envelop much of the album add a cinematic flair, which is fitting given that the band approached the album as though they were soundtracking a movie. Whittled down from more than 150 demos, Day is a lighter, softer side to Night’s deeper, darker tones, but they combine to make an album that is bursting with ambition and creativity, life-affirming upbeat moments and inward-looking solitude.