Frontperson

Parade

Oscar St. Records

Frontperson, who are Kathryn Calder and Mark Andrew Hamilton from Woodpigeon, have released a delightful followup to 2018’s Frontrunner, one that equals the best of Calder’s other band, The New Pornographers.

The duo still tackles vexing and frustrating situations, mostly relationships, with insight and droll, wry, and dry humor, the best kinds, to ultra-melodic synth pop, with a lot of guitars, too. That Hamilton is out is another good twist, as there always is a need for out relationship songs that take on their complexities, while not necessarily universalizing them.

Fans of TNP will enjoy this album, as Parade does resemble TNP’s most recent album, 2019’s In The Morse Code Of Brake Lights. So will Woodpigeon’s fans and people who just want to hear good synth pop with rock and a bit of folk mixed in.

Andrea Weiss