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China

by The Parlotones

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VIN
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VIN The most underrated band in the universe. Amazing songs, amazing live. Why these guys are not huge is a mystery. Favorite track: Can You Feel It?.
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1.
Antidote 04:00
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(Allow me to change) It’s not first time but the last time Don't be afraid (Allow me to change) My social unrest, an anxious conquest I know it's strange (Allow me to change) All the things that I've done wrong I’ll re-arrange You’re the ocean, I’m the sea You're the voice which calls to me Cut me down, send me afloat Upon your tides, my antidote Mistakes were made and this I know I'm just a man, I'm trying to grow Into the forest that you need And not just an echo Of what once was me (Allow me to change) I stayed up all night, hoping to come right My fickle brain (Allow me to change) I crave the spotlight, not just the limelight Upon your stage (Allow me to change) All the things that I’ve done wrong I’ll re-arrange You’re the ocean, I’m the sea You're the voice which calls to me Cut me down, send me afloat Upon your tides, my antidote Mistakes were made, and this I know I'm just a man, I'm trying to grow Into the forest that you need And not just an echo Of what once was me All the things that I’ve done wrong (I’ve done wrong) You’re the ocean, I’m the sea You're the voice which calls to me Cut me down, send me afloat Upon your tides, my antidote Mistakes were made, and this I know I'm just a man, I'm trying to grow Into the forest that you need And not just an echo Of what once was me All the things that I’ve done wrong (I’ve done wrong) I’ll re-arrange
2.
Leave a Light On 04:02
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It’s like a cigarette tamed by your fingertips When that cruel whisper spilled from your scarlet lips So for the last time let me sail upon your ship For the last time, let us light up This is goodbye, for the last time Let’s be wild and unashamed You will always be my dancer Come and dance inside my flame Like lovers in the middle of the night Desperate shuffles as we turn on the lights Light up, light up, light up All these places, different faces We will never ever be the same I’ll keep chasing, always chasing Just to be beside your flame Like lovers in the middle of the night Desperate shuffles as we turn on the light Light up, light up, light up I’ll be the soundtrack to your ambient dream If things were different well I know you’d be my queen I will always leave a light on I will always leave a light on This is goodbye, for the last time Let’s be wild and unashamed You will always be my dancer Come and dance inside my flame Like lovers in the middle of the night Desperate shuffles as we turn on the lights Light up, light up, light up All these places, different faces We will never ever be the same I’ll keep chasing, always chasing Just to be beside your flame Like lovers in the middle of the night Desperate shuffles as we turn on the light Light up, light up, light up This is goodbye, to your sweet flame, light up This is goodbye, for the last time Let’s be wild and unashamed I will always be your dancer Come and dance inside my flame Like lovers in the middle of the night Desperate shuffles as we turn on the lights Light up, light up, light up
3.
Can You Feel It? 03:34
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This soul is tired of searching This heart don’t beat in time This man is tired of walking I can’t find no rhythm or rhyme I’ve figured it out I’m digging it up I’m singing about The fact that I’m pale pickled pig With a treasure chest of self-doubt Get away, delay I’m figuring out I’m okay But the big bad wolf is on the loose (on the loose) From sunrise, to sunset ooh ooh hoo - can you feel it? I shudder, it’s frightening ooh ooh hoo - flat lining From sunrise, to sunset They’ve got you on the run, you’re freaking out Taking all the fun, can you feel it? Waiting for the sun, breaking out You’re not the only one Can you feel it? Feel it These thoughts are tired of running All through my vacant mind This wolf is up for feasting On a pale pickled pig on the wrong side of wa-wa-wild From sunrise, to sunset ooh ooh hoo - can you feel it? I shudder, it’s frightening ooh ooh hoo - flat lining From sunrise, to sunset They’ve got you on the run, you’re freaking out Taking all the fun, can you feel it? Waiting for the sun, breaking out You’re not the only one Can you feel it? Feel it I shudder, it’s frightening, I don’t want to be flat lining From sunrise, to sunset They’ve got you on the run, you’re freaking out Taking all the fun, can you feel it? Waiting for the sun, breaking out You’re not the only one Can you feel it? Feel it Feel it, feel it, feel it Can you feel it?
4.
Beautiful Life 03:46
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I'll be the water You effervescent champagne I’ll be the words You be the canvas, the page I'll be the wings You be the nightingale Flowers may fade But our colors will stain Together a beautiful life Sail away, sail away, sail away on a ship made of love Fly away, fly away, fly away on a purple dove I'll be the fire that burns all your sad to glass If you be my summer when winter refuses to pass Seasons grow old But I hope that you know Forever a beautiful life A beautiful life Life will be golden, if I grow older with you To have and to hold as long as you say that I do Life can be sick I’ll be your cure and your fix I'll protect you from all that upsets you Life can be wild I'll tame the crazy inside I'll defend you from demons within you Galaxies and milky ways Aren't big enough to describe Our story, our beautiful life Our beautiful life Life will be golden, if I grow older with you To have and to hold as long as you say that I do A beautiful life All of these lines crease our faces with good times Revealing a beautiful life
5.
For Now 04:08
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Taking you away from me Is like taking away the air I breathe There's no denying that without you I’m dying I know that life and death Work in their own distinctive ways Some might say It's a masquerade Some might say It's a goddamn champagne hurricane And though I know that we have caused each other pain And though I know that we will make a thousand plans For now For now For now we are here For now We’ve had our share of Disappointing tales from the past We've broken hearts in the belief That the best thing to do is leave We both know what it's like To try and make something last But with you, it's so easy Girl you, you complete me And though I know that we have caused each other pain And though I know that we will make a thousand plans For now For now For now we are here For now
6.
Downtown Love 04:26
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It's okay to fall apart No-one cares who you are Here in downtown, here in downtown girl Unpack your woes, forget the no-shows We're all lost here, we're all lost here girl There's someone to catch you, darling A safe place to land Someone who sees your charm And that wants to understand This is downtown love Embrace the truth We’ve lost our youth Our innocence and all that's true But baby not for you You've still got plans, so see them through Forget the others think of you Think of you girl There's someone to catch you, darling A safe place to land Someone who sees your charm And that wants to understand This is downtown love They'll kick you down if you get up And they'll stomp the ground if you've had enough You and I darling we can get out of here Take my hand let's run, let’s run, let’s disappear Run, run as fast as we can We’ve gotta get out of here Nothing below us or above All we have is this downtown love Wash away our dirty tears Take my hand, let's disappear It’s okay, embrace the start We've left behind our fractured past We are outside
7.
The Whole of the Moon 04:42
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I pictured a rainbow You held it in your hands I had flashes But you saw the plan I wandered out in the world for years While you just stayed in your room I saw the crescent You saw the whole of the moon The whole of the moon You were there in the turnstiles with the wind at your heels You stretched for the stars and you know how it feels to reach too high, too far, too soon You saw the whole of the moon I was grounded While you filled the skies I was dumbfounded by truth You cut through lies I saw the rain dirty valley You saw Brigadoon I saw the crescent You saw the whole of the moon I spoke about wings And you just flew I wondered, I guessed and I tried You just knew I sighed But you swooned I saw the crescent You saw the whole of the moon The whole of the moon With a torch in your pocket and the wind at your heels You climbed on the ladder and you know how it feels to get too high, too far, too soon You saw the whole of the moon The whole of the moon, hey yeah! Unicorns and cannonballs, palaces and piers Trumpets, towers and tenements Wide oceans full of tears Flags, rags ferryboats Scimitars and scarves Every precious dream and vision Underneath the stars You climbed on the ladder with the wind in your sails You came like a comet blazing your trail too high, too far, too soon You saw the whole of the moon
8.
Young & the Guilty 03:36
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Basement breakdown Government shakedown Superman jazzman Super-low attention span Backseat driver Coca-cola spider Positive negative Immigrant survivor Pardon me for knowing I beg your pardon me Tightrope paycheck Enigmatic cigarette Raging redneck Shooting up the discotheque Pardon me for crying I beg your pardon me When we were young It was flowers and love We used to shout at the man in the tower above Now that we’re old, it’s just money and fame If we look in the mirror it’s a crying shame Young, young and the guilty We’ve lost our humanity We’re just statues under the sun Young, young and the guilty Poisoned by money Young and the guilty A world next door to yours Robots on the radio Journey through the shadows Giants on the piano Stardust Galaxies Artefacts & antiques Episode melodies Chinese remedies Pardon me for singing I beg your pardon me When we were young It was flowers and love We used to shout at the man in the tower above Now that we’re old, it’s just money and fame If we look in the mirror it’s a crying shame Young, young and the guilty We’ve lost our humanity We’re just statues under the sun Young, young and the guilty Poisoned by money The young and the guilty
9.
Twilight Years 03:36
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Conversation like a thunderstorm Philosophy through a microphone We’re chasing dreams from the break of dawn When dusk arrives we melt back home I’ll keep it brief because boys don’t cry Will you be my lover In those twilight years Lets dance on the river And defy our fears Billionaires and politicians Fiddling with aspirations Alienating all that we hold dear Will you be my lover Through those twilight years If heaven and hell should divide us all We used to run now like slaves we crawl Like a wolf howling at a sunken moon And old man whistles a forgotten tune Twilight, twilight rendezvous Will you be my lover Through those twilight years Lets dance on the river And defy our fears Billionaires and politicians Fiddling with aspirations Alienating all that we hold dear Will you be my lover Through those twilight years
10.
Welcome the Wonderful 03:42
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Don’t be a stranger to the wonders of life It’ll knock you down but somehow you’ll survive I’ve seen so many unhappy days Life is just a jumbled, colourful bouquet Welcome the wonderful Welcome the wonderful The wonderful life Don’t be a stranger, to the wonders of life Welcome the wonderful Welcome the wonderful The wonderful life I see another window open And there’s so much more Welcome the wonderful comes rushing through the door Before a little black crow should take a dance around my eager eyes I’ll drink the remedy I will be free Welcome the wonderful I’ll be free Welcome the wonderful The wonderful life
11.
Only the Good 03:54
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I heard you want to live forever But karma keeps kicking you down You looked to the wise And to your surprise they said Only the good die young We might as well all be bad We all know that only the good die young I saw you standing over there Watching them sing and fly in the air You so badly wanted to sing along But you were too shy, too scared and too proud to dare I see your long golden hair And your big brown beautiful eyes They’re innocent but they can’t hide The frown inside cause life’s unkind Only the good die young We might as well all be bad We all know that only the good die young Is this a sick nightmare? I hear you crying in despair Life the cruel compromise Where suddenly the lovely is daring you to dream Don’t be chasing paper tigers Life cannot defy the fighter The adventure of your glorious soul So be brave, embrace this beautiful life Only the good stay young There’s no need to compromise Now you know that only the good stay young Young Only the good die young Only the good stay strong
12.
Keep Reminding Me 04:48
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Lover, the truth is so grim The only one you're hurting is yourself Lover, not a hater You used to share your light with everybody else The lessons are within you The answers do not lie outside yourself You're collecting, fleeting fuzzy There's only one thing that will lead you to the wealth Just keep reminding me Just keep reminding me Just keep reminding me That none of this means anything None of this means anything Brother, you're fading And all day long you worry for your health Your doctor cannot cure you The answers do not lie upon his shelf Oh, father, you feel raided You feel life has given you some tepid plan Just like a cat, curious not jaded You're willing to end it all to understand Just keep reminding me Just keep reminding me That none of this means anything None of this means anything Magic mirror, am I complacent? Am I adjacent to ideals or flippant plans? Discover the mirror Reveal reflections that remind me that I am just a scan
13.
I Feel Over Nothing 04:16
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I hear the chorus line Override much of what you do It’s the only time I feel over nothing Oh it’s true And it’s only afternoon I hear the chorus line I feel over nothing Nothing When I hear the chorus line Drifting through these autumn hues A vintage Sunday afternoon Like a polaroid from 1969 I really do enjoy the view But it’s not home and it’s not you A hummingbird ushers in a sign Suddenly a melody sweeps me straight back home I hear the chorus line Override much of what you do It’s the only time I feel over nothing Oh it’s true And it’s only afternoon I hear the chorus line I feel over nothing Nothing When I hear the chorus line Floating through these avenues Sipping in the morning dew As golden fingers peel away the night If melody is family then harmony is home Home I hear the chorus line Override much of what you do It’s the only time I feel over nothing Oh its true And it’s only afternoon I hear the chorus line I feel over nothing Nothing When I hear the chorus line Floating through these avenues Sipping in the morning dew As golden fingers peel away the night If melody is family then harmony is home Home I hear the chorus line Override much of what you do It’s the only time I feel over nothing Oh it’s true And it’s only afternoon I hear the chorus line I feel over nothing Nothing When I hear the chorus line
14.
Goodbye to the Show 04:02
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And in the morning When I’m no longer here Would you notice or would you even care Beware of the heart That was broke from the start What are we doing this all seems unfair Constant fighting inviting despair Put down the gloves dear How did we get here Let it go Goodbye to the show And in the evenings When you rest your head All your demons have left So you battle me instead My passion, your game As you smother me in blame What are we doing this all seems unfair Constant fighting inviting despair Put down the gloves dear How did we get here Let it go Goodbye to the show Breathe in, don’t fight it It’s over now

about

Put simply, The Parlotones are South Africa’s biggest selling pop/rock act ever. Having just celebrated their 20th anniversary as a band, The Parlotones initially booked a week at the High Seas Studios in Johannesburg in 2018 to record three tracks. However, when they emerged four months later, they had twenty-five.

The result is the new album, China which confronts listeners with 14 tracks that explore The Parlotones' diverse musical range. Released in North America via OK!Good Records on July 28th, China will undoubtedly bring in a new audience for the band, yet stays true to their unique sound that has already won them over 900,000+ albums sales worldwide.

The band initiated the creative process by working alongside two time Ivor Novello Award winner and Grammy-nominated songwriter Sacha Skarbek (best known for writing James Blunt's hits "You're Beautiful" & "Goodbye My Lover" as well as working with artists like Adele, Lana Del Rey, Jason Mraz,  Tears For Fears, and more), Richard Archer (singer-songwriter, lead vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter of indie rock band Hard-Fi), along with English musician Sam Duckworth (Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly).

The Parlotones have toured extensively across the globe since 2007 and have played hundreds of shows and festivals including stops at T in the Park, V Fest, SXSW, and Canadian Music Week. They have also shared the stage with renown acts like Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Violent Femmes, and Imagine Dragons. One of the band’s many highlights came in 2009/2010 during their ‘Stardust Galaxies’ world tour as they sold out headline arena shows at the 20,000 capacity Coca Cola Dome in Johannesburg and the Grand West Arena in Cape Town. In 2010 the band also opened up the soccer World Cup, where they were broadcast to roughly 1 Billion people worldwide.

credits

released June 28, 2019

Recorded and Mixed by Jacques Du Plessis at High Seas Studios
Assisted by Gavin Flaks and Adrian Erasmus
Mastered by Jacob Van at Westenhaus Mastering
Produced by Jacques Du Plessis & The Parlotones
Additional production by Rob Davidson

All music by The Parlotones • Kahn Morbee (Vocals/Guitar) • Neil Pauw (Drums) • Glen Hodgson (Bass/Keys/Backing Vocals) • Paul Hodgson (Lead Guitar)

Additional musicians: Rob Davidson (Keys) • John Mayer (Strings) • Jambo (Odds and Ends) • Adrian (Odds and Ends) • Flaks (Percussion) • Dani Bakkes (Vocals) • Rebecca Taylor (Vocals)

Artwork by Lorraine van Wyk
Photography by Stefano Moro van Wyk • Ryan Du Toit • Andre Badenhorst.

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OK! Good Records New York, New York

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