Parquet Courts built Sympathy for Life around a simple idea: a record about the natural world that doesn’t look away from the human one. Across eleven tracks and 45 minutes, the band moves between anxious pop songs, quiet instrumentals, and full-band rock-outs, often within the space of a single song.
Walking at a Downtown Pace
The opener sets the tone: a nervous, walking pace that feels less like a stroll and more like a person moving through a city while thinking about something far away. It’s a strong start that announces the record’s restless energy.
Black Widow Spider
“Black Widow Spider” is a short, sharp burst of punk energy, over in under three minutes. It’s the kind of track that clears the air after a heavier stretch.
Marathon of Anger / Just Shadows
“Marathon of Anger” slows things down, turning anxiety into a slow, heavy groove. “Just Shadows” picks the pace back up, its guitar lines cutting through the haze.
Plant Life / Application/Apparatus
“Plant Life” stretches past five minutes, letting the band explore texture and mood without losing focus. “Application/Apparatus” follows with a sharper, more urgent pulse.
Homo Sapien / Sympathy for Life
“Homo Sapien” is a tight, driving track that sounds like the band at their most direct. “Sympathy for Life” closes the middle section with a quiet, reflective turn, one of the record’s strongest moments.
Zoom Out / Trullo / Pulcinella
“Zoom Out” and “Trullo” are both brief, instrumental passages that function as transitions rather than statements. “Pulcinella,” at over six minutes, holds the record’s longest stretch, and it earns its length with patient build and payoff.
The Verdict
Sympathy for Life isn’t a perfect record, but it’s a confident one. The band trusts their instincts to move between moods without warning, and it mostly works.
“Walking at a Downtown Pace”
- Album: Sympathy for Life — Parquet Courts (2021)
- Tracks: 11
- Runtime: 45 minutes
- Score: 8 out of 10
- Walking at a Downtown Pace4:46
- Black Widow Spider2:50
- Marathon of Anger4:35
- Just Shadows3:57
- Plant Life5:51
- Application/Apparatus4:36
- Homo Sapien2:56
- Sympathy for Life2:50
- Zoom Out3:02
- Trullo3:01
- Pulcinella6:45
