By now, It must be suitable for me to tip my cap to the Malcolm/Mark pairing, a London project that has kept a prolific and qualitative progression ( that confounded word, again!) and I have been following closely since I purchased the “Nostalgia for Infinity” (2020) album. Their recent output consists of three out and out jewels, which have been critically acclaimed, and there is no reason to doubt that this new 2026 effort would not make anyone lose their hair to baldness. With Parallel Lives, the dynamic duo throw no curves that may sidetrack their strengths, focusing on the premise that the shortest distance between two points may perhaps be a straight line, but why not offer 11 tracks (2 extras being radio edits), all neatly equivalent?
“My Blistering Mind” could easily be referring to the blistering Gartland bass line that decorates this brainy track that seems to cause havoc with the splinters stuck in their collective cortex , both sides being roughed up with a punky tinge that has always been present in the HOGIA stylistic. Its not only a catchy opener but its obsessive quality is quantified by the backing vocal effort that really sets this track apart from the mundane.
Coming as a wonderful surprise, “The Mandatory Prize” (rogue poetry in lotion!) keeps their quirky musical gift firmly tongue in cheek, a brooding critique of societal hypocrisy, which let’s face it, is something only humans can indulge in with sadistic pleasure, save a hyena and perhaps also a scorpion (the first killing others for sheer pleasure and the other wilfully murdering themselves). Lose when you win, indeed. The musical tone is correctly pugnacious.
Flip that damn switch and out of the wild blue yonder comes a gorgeous and charming instrumental that knocked me sideways, “Never Really Felt Like Home” conveys a sense of lukewarm regret, far from anger but surely in bed with despondence. Guest Kathryn Thomas uses a variety of flutes to underscore one of the finest melodies heard in recent years, a superb slice of yearning. Prog rapping comes unwrapped (clever again) on “Smile, Smile, Smile” , a shivering electronic riff skipping over an intense spoken word that starts out accepting and turning into gentlemanly rage. ‘Nobody knows who you are’, even yourself I guess and frankly, what is existence all about ? Accumulating wealth and power? No, the answer is in the title: be happy and smile, repeated three times for effect. Fertig !
Jazz it up, will you now! “Intermission” has the Tangent/Andy Tillison vibe that highlights a wide range of classic mood swings (accent on the swing part) , a ruthless bass exercise (both musicians are incredible but I have a well-known fetish for the bass guitar and Gatland ranks as one of my perennial faves), a marvelous interlude that will set-up the suave beauty of the title track, a heart-felt love song that is progged up with delicate detail, and gratefully stripped down to the basics : voice, piano and distant percussion. And tons of fervent emotion, eyes closed, ears open. The chosen melodic line is another example of their attention to feeling ,a masterful stroke of genius.
Waking up from the dream, prompted from a remote command , the somewhat more energetic “Eversion” revives the fiery anger this band manages on an even par with their melancholy, a slightly deranged and obsessive look into the mirror of past lives still unsettled. Essentially a vortex of circular sonic turbulence, the voice and that darn bass confusing the issues with a wide variety of counterstrokes and pushback. Malcolm finally whips out his electric guitar and goes on zippered tear, a short slash that only reinvigorates the urge to hold on and seek help. Seven minutes of intensity.
Opting for an compulsive electronic diversion (which they use regularly but only with surgical precision) “Pretty Blue Fox” is another thrilling instrumental that certainly invokes images of parallel realms, a dreamscape of unusual consequence and open to individual conjecture. The keyboard work is exemplary (the piano in particular) and adapted to the overall tendency of this recording. Well played!
Back to in-your-face simplicity on the ear-friendly “Just Another Thing”, Malcolm speeding through the lyrics like an F1 McLaren race car, vroom-vroom pursuit, ‘to add to the list’, a checkered flag synthesizer flutter to keep the engines oiled, the bass pistons throttling loudly, and the rubber smoking. Punk-prog. Attached is the outro instrumental “Dropping the Mask”, proving once and for evermore that the main attraction of this act is their aptitude to balance worded and non-worded material without losing any talent or identity . If the glove fits…
The epic two-part finale “Just Hold On” is a glowing tribute to the hyperactive societal burden we must all bear, where time and space are blurred into an algo rhythmic smear that keeps us from restful peace of mind or quiet critical thinking. The opening choir section underlines that agony, the electric guitar somehow hopeful, the bass thoughtfully gentle, eventually building up the urgency that makes blood circulate in our veins, oxygenizing our brain as well as limbering up our machine’s muscles. Malcolm vocal is more of a sermon to the times, the lyrics depressive and apathetic but the message combative and resilient. Its never too late. Happiness and contentment can be a as simple as a forceful decision, a basic choice, to just HOLD ON. Take my hand and get this album, it just might help the healing process we humans all deserve. Its not too late.
The shortened radio edits of the first two tracks are oddly enough not edits as they are the same length or even longer than the originals, Brits have the best sense of humor, sardonic and off the wall.
Their absolute finest effort by a country mile. Hats off !
5 corresponding existences