*The Following Press Release Was Issued By Shameless Promotion PR*
 | Philip Parfitt Mental Home Recordings A Turntable Friend Records 30 October 2020 |
| FOR FANS OF: The Church, Mojave 3, Paul Weller, Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen, John Cale and the Velvet Underground, The Perfect Disaster FCC clean Photos by Motoko Tachikawa “Philip Parfitt’s songs on ‘Mental Home Recordings’ possess both scars and genius. If Parfitt’s previous work lurked within the sharp garage tradition of Bo Diddley, the Velvets and the Stones, he operates now within a quieter idiom: Nick Drake, Ronnie Lane, Syd Barrett. Quieter but not softer: this record will scrub you raw” – Matthew Specktor (The New York Times, GQ, Harper’s, The Paris Review, Fox 2000) “Imagine a Reed / Dylanesque vocal lacquered in a modern blend of elements of The Church, The Red House Painters and Slowdive… Now you don’t have to (imagine). Just listen… Heartfelt and folk-centered with Ride-esque uplifting interjections on the chorus, Parfitt has found an optimal balance between bard and rock star. We love it” – Big Takeover Magazine Recently signed to UK/ German label A Turntable Friend Records, singer-songwriter Philip Parfitt released his new album ‘Mental Home Recordings’ on October 30, 2020. Philip Parfitt is best known as the founder, guitarist, vocalist and primary songwriter of the Britain’s The Perfect Disaster. Formed in 1980, the alternative rock band released four albums and reached number fifteen on the UK Indie Chart before splitting up in 1991. Given the quality and the breadth of Parfitt’s output over the past 40 years, it’s clear that he’s far more interested in making his art than in talking about it. After all, with his bands The Perfect Disaster, Oediupussy and in his solo performances, he has shared stages with such luminaries as Nico, Spiritualized, Spacemen 3, My Bloody Valentine, the Pixies, the Chills, the Jesus and Mary Chain and others. Parfitt played on Spectrum’s first album with Jason Pierce and guitarist Terry Bickers (House of Love, Levitation) contributed to Oedipussy’s album ‘Divan.’ Parfitt also gave significant starts to Josephine Wiggs (who played in the Perfect Disaster before joining The Breeders) and to the Heliocentrics’ Malcolm Catto, who likewise played on the Perfect Disaster’s first. It’s a surprise to realize that ‘Mental Home Recordings’ is only his second solo album, following his ‘I’m Not The Man I Use To Be,’ released in 2014. When asked where his songs come from, Philip Parfitt says, “I don’t know. I don’t ask and I don’t often even think about it. I don’t even know what they’re about most of the time. The meaning is only revealed, when at all, later.” There is a maturity to this artist that allow his songs to reveal themselves similarly to the listener, opening up fresh dimensions each time. But Parfitt is quick to note that it isn’t simply a matter of passive inspiration. “I always have a pen and notebook and something to record with,” he says. “So even if I don’t know exactly how I’m doing it, I appear to be doing it a lot.” Awash on a sea of materialism in a time when nearly everything is offered to us as product, it’s a relief to encounter a sensibility like this – one that shines a light into the darkest recesses of our battered psyches. The Velvet Underground, Leonard Cohen, John Cale and Nick Drake did the same – all artists to whom Parfitt’s own output has been compared. It’s difficult to say where the “defining moment” of a career as long as Parfitt’s is – probably there are several – but ‘Mental Home Recordings’ is assuredly one. And for an old hand, the new album’s release via A Turntable Friend Records is surely navigating familiar waters. Available directly from A Turntable Friend Records via Bandcamp, the detailed artwork is made by painter Fernando Ruibal – a picture puzzle with many things to discover, including on the record shelf. CREDITS Written by Philip Parfitt Performed by Philip Parfitt and friends Produced, mixed and mastered by Philip Parfitt Recorded by Parfitt and Alex Creepy Mojo Cover artwork conceived by Parfitt and created by Fernando Ruibal Sleeve notes written by Matthew Specktor Keep up with Philip Parfitt Facebook | New LP | Bandcamp | Instagram | Twitter | Apple Music | Spotify Keep up with A Turntable Friend Records Facebook | Bandcamp | Soundcloud | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram |
