New Music: Alone at Parties – Self-Help Books

Self-Help Books is the opening track on Petals, the new four-song EP from Romanian indie band Alone at Parties.

For the band, it marks a shift away from the debut album, one that often relied on guitars in the arrangement, towards a sharper, rock-focused sound. Even as the track has that sharpness about it, that tends to come through mainly in the observational and witty lyrics and the tautness of the rhythm section. Here, as on the EP as a whole, Alone at Parties will remind you of your favourite bands – I thought of the lyrics of Prefab Sprout and the jangle of The Frank & Walters – yet sonically going down a different path.

“The song is about pop psychology, oversimplified ways of understanding & improving oneself,” states Alone at Parties. “It quickly came about one hungover summer morning while grabbing a coffee and noticing a tacky self-help book on the counter.”

“It was one of those rare moments when the lyrics poured out in one go. We’ve first made a softer version, but I kept feeling that something punchier would work better. I’ve wanted a punk song ever since I was a teenager, and this is the closest I’ve ever got to one (so far?!).”

Petals is streaming on Spotify and Bandcamp – for more listening options and all the latest news from Alone at Parties, follow the band on Instagram or Facebook.