Day/Night

An ambitious, expansive second album from Australian five-piece Parcels full of expertly played (the entire album was recorded live with additional orchestration added afterwards) disco/soft & yacht rock/jazz funk/AOR hybrids. They flirt with various shades of disco including funky-guitar/opulent strings/sophisticated piano chords á la Chic, Philadelphia International soaring orchestration, and high-paced euphoric EW&F stylings as well as causally dropping deft little jazz jams or pastoral ballads.  

The final five tracks form an introspective and intense comedown, the low-key slow burn of “Thefear” switching between gentle melodies, soft keys, backwards vocals and steaming funk, “Nightwalk,” a vulnerable, light-touch song with a superb jazz-soul coda, followed by ‘80s slow ballad “Reflex,” plaintive, pretty love paean “Once,” and expert hybrid “Inside,” its wah wah and blues slide guitar sitting on a laid back funk groove that morphs into a understated orchestrated finale. Endlessly creative, brilliantly played, high-quality album.