Review Score:

A

September 20 / 2025 –

After finally delving into the newest album from Australian electropop group Parcels, I found that I was immediately kicking myself for waiting so long.

Parcels, a band that remains underappreciated despite a handful of commercial hits, have outdone themselves on LOVED. There is an added emotional weight of the lyricism on many of these songs. It’s commendable, especially for a band that could easily coast on danceable slop for years to come. And I love danceable slop, no shade to danceable slop. There are a lot of bands whose every album follows the same structure as your average episode of SpongeBob SquarePants. Some great, enduing gags, some wacky moments, etc. But at the end of every episode, our titular protagonist remains the fry cook at the Krusty Krab, living in his pineapple under the sea. There are artists similar to Parcels who can deliver the musical equivalent of this every single time. And there are many that do, but I won’t name names in this case. You can draw your own conclusions on that.

Parcels, however, really continues to evolve and build on their sound with each new release. LOVED nails what a NFL coach would call “the fundamentals”. The hooks, the grooves, the musicianship – it’s all here in full force. But you can’t win a game, or build a great album, on fundamentals alone. You have to get creative to come out on top. And Parcels does that better than most. Their harmonies, like on “Finallyover” or “Yougotmefeeling” (one of the year’s best tracks) are about as perfect as they come. And on “Leaveyourlove”, the band goes big mode on the groove. Sicko mode even. Everyone is locked the hell in.

This album is quick, bright, and punchy. And it’s all the more impressive considering the band has remained extremely prolific since their first big single in 2017 (a collab with Daft Punk of all things). Parcels really came out swinging with LOVED, which is undoubtably one of the year’s best pop projects.

Review Score:

A

Gubb wrote this review. You can’t get mad at Gubb.