Parquet Courts built Sunbathing Animal around a simple idea: take the rough, literate punk of their earlier records and stretch it out. The Brooklyn band wanted to sound bigger, smarter and more varied. The result is a double album that runs nearly 81 minutes across 25 tracks, and it mostly works.
The record is a study in contrast. Long songs sit beside fragments. Witty social commentary shares space with pure noise. The band’s sharp, literate wit stays intact even as the music gets louder and stranger. It is a record about excess — excess of ideas, excess of noise, excess of ambition — and it mostly earns that ambition.
Everyday It Starts Opens The Record
The album opens with “Everyday It Starts,” a 2:56 statement of intent. It sets a brisk, anxious pace that the record follows for the first half. Then comes “Content Nausea,” the title track, a 3:04 blast of guitar noise and sneering vocals that announces the record’s refusal to play nice.
“Urban Ease” and “Slide Machine” are quick jabs. “Kevlar Walls” is a fragment, barely a minute long. “Pretty Machines” stretches to 4:41 and shows off the band’s knack for building a riff into a full song. “Psycho Structures” and “The Map” keep the momentum up, both tight and urgent.
The First Cover Arrives
“These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” is the record’s first cover, a straight reading of the classic that doesn’t waste a second. “Insufferable” and “No Concept” are brief interludes, less than a minute each, that function as palate cleansers. “Uncast Shadow of a Southern Myth” runs 6:26 and is the longest track in the first half — it earns its length with a slow-burning build.
“Bodies Made Of” and “Black & White” are back-to-back mid-tempo tracks that show the band’s melodic side. “Dear Ramona” is a 2:35 love letter, one of the record’s few tender moments. “What Color Is Blood?” and “Vienna II” are shorter, denser pieces that keep the energy high. “Always Back in Town” brings the pace down slightly before the record’s first major shift.
She’s Rolling Stretches Out
“She’s Rolling” is the longest track on the album at 6:33, and it is also the most patient. It builds slowly, layering guitars and vocals until it reaches a peak. It is the track that best captures the record’s restless energy.
Sunbathing Animal Arrives
The title track, “Sunbathing Animal,” arrives at track 20 and is the centerpiece of the second half. It is a 3:52 burst of noise and melody that sums up everything the record is trying to do. “Up All Night” and “Instant Disassembly” follow — the former is a 1:02 breather, the latter a 7:12 epic that pushes the band’s experimental edge to its limit.
Ducking & Dodging Returns To The Early Style
“Ducking & Dodging” is a 4:29 return to the fast, witty style of the first half. “Raw Milk” and “Into the Garden” close the record, both around three minutes, and they bring it back to a sense of resolution.
What Works And What Doesn’t
The record’s strengths are also its weaknesses. The sheer density of tracks can wear thin, especially in the middle stretch where a few fragments feel like filler rather than statements. The longer tracks — “She’s Rolling,” “Instant Disassembly” — are the ones that justify the length, while some of the shorter pieces feel like sketches rather than finished songs.
The wit is still sharp throughout. The band’s ability to name a social problem and then mock it is present on almost every track, from “Psycho Structures” to “Insufferable.” But the humor sometimes competes with the noise, and the two don’t always find a balance.
“Sunbathing Animal” is the best album Parquet Courts have made, and it is a record that continues to expand their musical horizons by offering more of their own takes on older sounds.
Comparing Two Versions
| Album | Tracks | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Sunbathing Animal | 25 | 81 minutes |
| Content Nausea | 10 | 30 minutes |
The comparison is instructive. The full album is the definitive version, but the shorter Content Nausea compilation captures the record’s sharper edges without the sprawl. Both are worth hearing, but the double album is the complete picture.
Verdict On The Record
Sunbathing Animal is a bold, uneven record that mostly succeeds. Its best tracks — “She’s Rolling,” “Sunbathing Animal,” “Instant Disassembly” — are among the band’s finest work. Its weaker moments — the fragments, the occasional excess — are a cost of that ambition.
The record is a triumph of energy over polish. It is messy, sprawling and often brilliant. It is the band’s best work, and it is a record that continues to expand their musical horizons by offering more of their own takes on older sounds.
- Everyday It Starts2:56
- Content Nausea3:04
- Urban Ease0:55
- Slide Machine4:22
- Kevlar Walls0:59
- Pretty Machines4:41
- Psycho Structures2:53
- The Map2:55
- These Boots Are Made for Walkin’3:31
- Insufferable1:35
- No Concept0:43
- Uncast Shadow of a Southern Myth6:26
- Bodies Made Of3:21
- Black & White3:03
- Dear Ramona2:35
- What Color Is Blood?3:25
- Vienna II1:02
- Always Back in Town2:38
- She's Rolling6:33
- Sunbathing Animal3:52
- Up All Night1:02
- Instant Disassembly7:12
- Ducking & Dodging4:29
- Raw Milk4:00
- Into the Garden3:01
