Parrot Dream

You may recognize the theme park from Parrot Dream’s video for “Sound & Light”—it was the scene of the carnival from the movie Big. Here, though, the park is empty, snow-filled, and serene, and singer Christina Appel runs and dances through it in a kaleidoscopic haze.

A single from 2014’s Set Sail Someday EP, “Sound & Light” floats airily through its four and a half minutes, and the snowy landscape of the video brings out the coolness of its shimmering melody.

“In the video, we really wanted to convey this idea of searching, some kind of journey, and at times some kind of desperation in that search,” Appel says.

The band—which relocated to Brooklyn from Chile six months ago—is working on a follow-up to Set Sail Someday, to be released this year, and hopes to incorporate more of a raw, live sound. Until then, lay back and let the video for “Sound & Light” sweep you off to dreamland. - Popstache

Delving into my inbox next for a rather lovely introduction, Parrot Dream, a NYC based quartet whom instantly won me over with their debut single "Come Home", a sumptuous introduction to the melodic indie-pop soundscapes that can be found fully on their debut six track EP Set Sail Someday - available now and free via the bands own website.

"Come Home" is a glorious, if perhaps more suited for a summer, discovery with tropical guitar rhythms, warming synths and airy vocals combining to fill you in a dreamy, soothing beauty. Something that could also be said for perhaps the finest track on the release "Queen of Hearts", certainly the crisp, melodic instrumentation and swooning melody gives Christina Appel the chance to extend her gorgeous honeyed voice, dealing in a similar shiny, sunny pop realms to Tennis at their chiming best,

Here, Parrot Dream introduce a sound that fits perfectly with those of us looking for a charming, sparkling listen. Go find out for yourself below. - JUST MUSIC THAT I LIKE

Parrot Dream es un grupo chileno-norteamericano formado por la cantante Christina Appel, junto a Gonzalo Guerrero (guitarras) Francisco Véliz (bajo) y Diego Aravena (batería). El año pasado la banda lanzó su EP debut Set sail someday, que incluye el tema “Sound & light”, cuyo nuevo video puedes revisar al final de este post.

Dirigido por Gonzalo Guerrero, guitarrista de la banda, el video de “Sound & light” fue registrado en el neoyorquino parque Playland y es protagonizado por la cantante Christina Appel. Este es el segundo single del cuarteto, tras lanzar en enero el video de “Come home“.

Set sail someday EP es presentado por el sello Beast Discos (Survey Team, Planeta No, Fármacos) y sus 6 canciones se pueden escuchar desde el Soundcloud del grupo. Además, el trabajo se puede descargar gratis, siguiendo este enlace. A continuación el video de “Sound & light”. - super45

Brooklyn’s Parrot Dream infuse their new single Sound & Light with exactly that, tons of blissful sound and a wonderfully glowing radiance. Sound & Light is the perfect gem to listen to when you’re in the mood for some shoegazey dream pop music, with a soothing and ethereal wispiness. It’s like an intimate, lulling fusion of Wild Nothing’s haziness, Young Summer’s satin vocals, and Beach House’s melancholic tinged beauty. The indie pop band unleashed a video to go along with the song, filmed on an icy dat at historic Playland amusement partk in Rye, NY. - I heart moosiq

Sometimes you just need one track to launch a mini-obsession. That’s definitely the case here with Parrot Dream, the young New York based trio and their gorgeous track, “Sound & Light”. The song kicks off the band’s debut EP, and sets the pace for a stellar collection of dreamwave gems. Parrot Dream layer warm, steady guitars with majestic synth lines and airy, melodic vocals to build a sound that alternates between sun-draped daydream and hazy lullaby. Think about The Sundays crossed with Beach Fossils and you’re almost there. It’s a wonderful sound, and you can sample and purchase now at the band’s Bandcamp page. Highly recommended. - PERFECT|MIDNIGHT|WORLD

Su EP debut salió hace apenas unos mese pero vale la pena tenerlos en la mira, Parrot Dream banda de origen Chileno-Estadounidense, suena bien y elegante, aunque para sus miembros sea una cuestión difícil de definir... - Melómanos Magazine

Si bien Parrot Dream se autoincluye en el vasto océano del indie rock, los temas que han publicado a la fecha están más cercanos a una mescolanza entre pop etéreo y texturas shoegaze. Acá puedes conocer una nueva propuesta local a través de ‘Time Is Running Out’ (sin relación con la de Muse) y una versión acústica de ‘Roses for Arms’: - POTQ

Las historias siempre tienen sonido. Todas. Desde la que imaginas al despertarte, hasta la que te llevas a la cama después de un día largo. La nueva banda chileno-norteamericana Parrot Dream lo sabe. Así lo deja ver en su EP debut titulado Set Sail Someday (Beast Discos, 2014), material plagado de historias de pérdida, amor, imaginación. De cualquier emoción que venga desde el fondo. Historias que suenan a indie pop clásico, concebido en unos pocos meses tras haberse formado este joven cuarteto.

Y aquí está la prueba. Un puñado de canciones -seis, para ser exactos- con voz femenina al frente, grabadas en el Estudio Lautaro (Pablo Giadach) y Solvenfrance (Diego Ridolfi), y mezclado por Diego Ridolfi de la banda chilena Fármacos. La masterización de los temas se realizó en Bonati Mastering NYC, en Brooklyn (Mac Demarco, Beach Fossils, etc). Pequeñas historias con final onírico. - One Heap Wonder

Parrot Dream couldn’t agree more. Cristina Appel and Gonzalo Guerrero relocated to New York about a year ago, after forming in Santiago, Chile. Meeting like-minded talent has been a blessing for them. “One of our last shows we played with a band called Balancer, and now we’re sharing a rehearsal space with them,” says Appel, whose wistful vocals and airy synths give Parrot Dream their — well, dreaminess. “They’re [also] from Latin America — that’s something that we’ve been interested in, trying to connect with and talk to other bands, set up more shows with emerging artists that do have some connection to Latin America, to support each other mutually.”

Their debut EP, Set Sail Someday, is as hopeful as its title suggests, with Guerrero’s sprightly guitar keeping the songs moving along at a brisk clip. According to Appel, having creative friends in Santiago helped Parrot Dream produce their EP quickly, but ultimately New York held a greater allure. “We love Santiago and the music scene is definitely alive there, but it’s on a much smaller scale. So it’s just been really exciting to be able to become a part of the community here,” she says.

Relocating meant finding new bandmates to fill out Parrot Dream’s sound, but they’re always eager to try new things; their "On the Rise" show, for instance, will feature a second vocalist (but no bassist). They’re hoping to record a full-length in the fall and release it early next year, and Appel says perseverance is key. “You really have to work hard and be really focused and show that you’re passionate about it in order to make good work, and then be patient as well.” - Village Voice

Shoegaze/dreampop quartet Parrot Dream, who join New Myths and BRAEVES for On The Rise at LPR next Tuesday 8/11, formed in Santiago, Chile in 2013, but now they call NYC home. We’re glad to have them here, and, with their LPR debut just a week away, here’s a Q&A with Parrot Dream vocalist and keyboardist Christina Appel and guitarist Gonzalo Guerrero!

LPR: Tell us a little about Parrot Dream. How did you connect and start playing together?

Christina: Parrot Dream came about in Santiago, Chile when Gonzalo and I, who had been together for a while at that point, started playing with Pancho and Diego, friends from design school and the studio where Gonzalo worked.

What is a “Parrot Dream?” How did you settle on this name? What were the other contenders?

Christina: Our original band name was A Pile of Birds, which we were quite attached to, but about 5 months in we discovered there was another band in Santiago with oddly an almost identical name. When scouting a new name, Gonzalo, who is a designer, was working on an illustration and noticed one of his markers, which was a deep green color, was called Parrot Dream.



You moved here in 2014 from Santiago, Chile. What music did you listen to growing up there? Are there any New York bands that influenced your music?

Gonzalo: I listened to Nirvana, the Pixies, Pavement, punk and hardcore growing up. My first band when I was 14 played Nirvana covers. After that I began to discover and listen to a lot of different styles of music, from classic rock and Latin American music to more experimental music.

Christina: I grew up listening to a lot of 90s rock, grunge and pop, from Green Day to The Beatles.

Gonzalo: There are a lot of NY bands that we like, but we don’t know if they’re a direct influence on our music, like Velvet Underground, Patty Smith, The Ramones, Interpol, Grizzly Bear and The Drums.



New York can be a pretty rough city when you’re just starting out. What surprised you most about the city?

Christina: It’s tough to get started when you’re new to the city, and there are so many bands here, which is awesome, but you do really have to work hard to stand out.
On The Rise at LPR
This On the Rise show was put together to celebrate up-and-coming talent in New York. Which new acts are you following right now? Anyone our readers should put on their radar?

Gonzalo: We played with Balancer at our last show, they’re amazing, and we’ve also been following Wild Yaks and Palm.

Describe your performances in 140 characters or less.

Ethereal to danceable rock, intensely focused and fun. - LPR Blog