Creating a Universe Together: Parcels on Their Third Album Loved

Earlier this month, Parcels launched their highly anticipated new album, “Loved,” marking a return after months of touring and studio sessions across Mexico, Australia, and Europe. Known for their infectious blend of indie-pop, disco grooves, and lush harmonies, the Berlin-based Australian five-piece leaned into looseness and spontaneity this time around, capturing raw vocals and fresh energy in just a handful of takes.

Ahead of their upcoming tour, and a Paris stop at the Accor Arena on October 8, drummer Anatole Serret sat down with Whitewall to discuss the record’s beginnings, the influence of spaces on sound, balancing control with freedom, and his life beyond the band.

WHITEWALL: You mentioned you’re in the middle of a great book. What are you reading?

ANATOLE SERRET: It’s called All Falls by Miranda July. It’s really funny. My partner’s obsessed with her—she does all kinds of different art. I’d seen some of her work but never read anything until now, and it’s great. It’s bizarre. I think I know where it’s going, and then it changes. I’ll probably finish it today.

WW: I have it on my list! So you’re kind of in this in-between zone right now—summer festival season has wrapped and you’ve got a couple weeks until the album launches. How does this time feel?

AS: It’s a funny time. We’ve just been touring for the last nine weekends. Now we have some time off, then we will start rehearsing in September, launch the album, and tour again. Right now it’s just time to stay in bed.

Parcels Debuts a New Album

WW: Let’s start with the album—it’s so exciting. What was the starting point?

AS: We started more than a year ago in Mexico. We had two gigs a month apart and weren’t sure if we should go home in between. A few of the guys—Noah, Jules, and Pat—met up in Mazunte at this little studio. It wasn’t all of us, but it was a nice way to dip our feet back into writing and recording together. That’s where the first recordings for this record happened.

A couple weeks later all five of us got into a studio outside of Mexico City. That felt like, “We’re back in the studio.” We listened to some things the others had been making, along with demos. Because it had been so long, no one wanted to label what the album should sound like. It was pretty open.

Then we had a couple of months in Australia, which was fun but not very productive—most of that time didn’t make it onto the record. It all came together later in Sydney at Golden Retriever studio. Suddenly it was time to finish the record. We’d been dancing around it, and in 10 or 12 days we did most of it.

WW: Was there a theme or direction you were consciously moving toward?

AS: We wanted to keep a sense of lightheartedness. Our last album was very conceptual and heavy. No one wanted to do that again. This one’s just a collection of songs, looser in the vocals. As we get older and more confident, it doesn’t have to be perfect to sound perfect.

WW: How did you approach vocals this time?

AS: Instead of long pressured takes, we’d do a few quick ones—five or ten minutes. If it wasn’t working, you’d come back another time with an engineer. Most of the vocals on the record are from those quick sessions. I don’t believe in waiting for the “perfect take” anymore. It’s almost better not to overthink it.

WW: Some tracks felt nostalgic, like “Safe and Sound” and “I Wanna Be Your Light Again.”

AS: “Safe and Sound” definitely has that indie throwback vibe. “I Wanna Be Your Light Again” was inspired by surf soundtrack vibes—psychedelic rock with reverby drums. That song had been floating around the band for years. We had the chorus during the last album. In Sydney, Patrick brought in verses at the last minute. He played them to us, and the whole band was speechless—Noah even started crying. We recorded it on the final day.

Inspired by Talking Heads and Others

WW: Were there other influences?

AS: Talking Heads were a big influence. There are also some pop inspirations in the synths. We tried not to fall back into vintage sounds, to keep it modern without it feeling unnatural. And of course, you can always feel the 70s with us—that’s our bread and butter.

WW: What about visuals—album art, videos?

AS: We’ve been working with Alex Thurmond. This time we swayed away from traditional music videos. We’ve put a lot of effort into them in the past and never felt like people watched them. Instead, we focused on live sessions, which fans really connect with. We might wait until after the album’s out, see which songs resonate, and then maybe make a video later.

WW: Do you go on tour right after the album release?

AS: About two weeks after.

WW: How does it feel to take the songs live?

AS: Album releases always feel a little anticlimactic until later. Playing live gives you real feedback—especially when people sing along. That’s amazing. What’s tough is playing new songs before release; people don’t know them yet. With pop and indie shows, audiences want songs they know. So releasing, then playing live, is important.

But feedback is on the songs themselves, not the specific recording. The album version is just the one we felt summed it up best. Unlike visual art or performance art, you don’t get immediate feedback. I don’t read online comments, so only months later—when a song streams well or goes off live—do you realize it connected.

WW: You travel a lot. How much do you experience the places you visit?

AS: It depends. I wouldn’t say I’m fully living it up in every city. This summer was fun because I did little runaway trips—Italy, my dad’s place in France. Recording locations definitely influence the music. The room itself can shape the sound. Our second album was done in a gothic manor house, and it ended up sounding gothic.

The Impact of the Recording Room

WW: What spaces have you loved recording in?

AS: In Mexico we recorded in a beautiful house-turned-studio, all wood with floor-to-ceiling windows in hexagonal rooms, in the middle of the forest. That was amazing. In Australia, we tried a studio on a stunning property in the hills, but not much of that music made it in. It doesn’t always matter how nice the place is—amazing music can be made in a bedroom. But the space always affects the sound.

WW: Within Parcels, how do you see your role?

AS: I’m the drummer. Drummers often like control. Our role is to provide a stable base for others to shine. I enjoy that. Physically I sit at the back but elevated, so I can see everyone and make eye contact. If anyone’s lost in the song, they look to me. Patrick looks at me five times a song just to check in. Outside music, I’m often the one calming things down if tensions rise.

WW: Was drumming always your passion?

AS: Yes, since I was nine or ten. I played other instruments but was never obsessed with them like the drums.

WW: Do you still play during breaks?

AS: Not much. When we have time off, I often won’t touch a kit for weeks. Knowing the next year will be full of it, I’m fine stepping away. I need diversity in my life.

WW: What other interests do you pursue?

AS: My partner is a performance artist, and I recently made music for one of her performances in Antwerp. That was my first time composing for that context. It was fun to adapt the music to the space and the rehearsal process. Unlike music for headphones or live shows, it was just for that room.

I also do mountaineering with a friend. I get overwhelmed by the speed of technological growth, so I have a strong urge to disappear sometimes. I’ll take an old phone with no number and go away for a few days. I grew up in the countryside in Australia, so I’ve always had a connection to nature.

WW: Reading seems like another outlet for you.

AS: Yes, but I haven’t done enough of it lately. Being in London last week, I bought four books knowing I had three weeks off. I’m just going to lie in bed and read.

WW: Thank you for taking the time to chat—and congrats on the record.

AS: Thanks so much.