Breakups are hard. You can rip up all your pictures, block them on social media, and tell your friends not to utter their name. Despite your best efforts, little reminders of the banished person may still seep through the cracks. It only takes a second for the memories to resurface, good or bad. You may also dwell on what could have been if the relationship had lasted. You wonder if they are still thinking about you like you are them. All the progress you’d made in forgetting them is now tainted. Bashlow has experienced all of this firsthand and reflects upon it in her angry and upbeat pop song, “Parliaments.”
The instrumentation of this song perfectly matches the title. It is sad and angry and still manages to be upbeat. This is accomplished by the combination of a thumping bass line and a piano riff. Bashlow is angry because she doesn’t want to be thinking about her ex. This is revealed in the chorus with the words “she tells me that she loves me, but I know it’s just the vodka talking, tells me that she’s sorry but she’s not.” Another aspect of this song that I thought was unique was the use of the title, as it is only mentioned one time. Bashlow says it in the first line when she sings, “she used to smoke Parliaments.” I think this is a good stylistic choice. To me, it seems like all the negative emotions in the song stem from finding this pack of cigarettes. Therefore it makes sense to put it at the very beginning.
Bashlow is a singer/songwriter based in the United States. “Parliaments" is her first release of 2023. If you want to hear more of her, I recommend her 2022 single, “7 Letter Word.” It is about trying to be there for someone who is hurting. Compared to “Parliaments,” it is very slow and reflective with minimal instrumentation. This allows the heavy feelings to come through. It is raw and you can tell that Bashlow is singing from the heart. I really enjoyed listening to Bashlow’s work. Follow all of her socials down below to see her upcoming tour dates and be the first to hear of any new releases!
Written By Kelli Dixon
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