Beginning their career as musical duo the Parlor with indie folk sounds, multi-instrumentalists Jen O’Connor and Eric Krans have since deftly developed an ever-evolving world of art-pop. This time around, their marked sonic evolution introduces triggered samples and an orchestra of synths with upcoming album Kiku. Despite its synthetic nature, there are strands of utter humanity laced throughout their latest work, reflective of the mourning, strength, and faith that they had shared following their second miscarriage.
All of this lends itself well to the compelling layers upon layers present in the album’s compositions. Before Kiku releases on 13 April on Five Kill, O’Connor and Krans are showing those layers with single “In”.
They tell PopMatters, “‘In’ is a song about meeting self-doubt head on. For us, it’s about re-engaging in our ongoing endeavor, our painful struggle to start a family; remaining hopeful and honest about our pursuit of that dream and about openly committing ourselves to the shared strength of partnership.”
“Do we keep trying? Keep going? It’s okay to say no. Either way, I offer my hand. Either way, we are alive on planet Earth, and we will wake up in the morning and face the day. The line ‘put your clothes on / it’s a new dawn’ is from an Alan Watts lecture about Zen Buddhism. He told a story about a monk who realized Satori by simply getting dressed in the morning.