Parker Releases Ecstatic Indie Rock Track “Melancholy Way”

by Damien Reid March 1, 2023

March 1, 2023

Parker Releases Ecstatic Indie Rock Track “Melancholy Way”

Parker is the musical project of talented 16-year-old solo artist Sam Lethbridge. Released on December 14, 2022, his single “Melancholy Way” was inspired by his experimentation with blending distortion along with smooth pop chords, to produce a surf-rock essence. The track is about the consequences of anxiety and strain on an individual. Furthermore, the musician discusses pleasant memories, and the need to distract oneself for comfort. “Melancholy Way” has an infectious hook where snappy vocal sequences are active. Aside from that, a subtle jangly guitar represents the rhythm section, along with interesting slide guitar solos here and there.

Parker and his band performed at “The Home of The Arts” on the Gold Coast in support of Georgia Hoareau’s “Oh Well” single release. Sam won the Mullumbimby Music Festival Youth Mentorship in a duo at the age of 15. Amazingly, Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden discovered Parker when he released songs on the “Cardano” cryptocurrency platform. Joel and Benji Madden were incredibly kind and patient and inspired Sam to keep performing diligently and create music. Joel even spoke about Sam’s musical energy by saying quote “I’m a huge fan now, dude. Not only the music but meeting the guy behind it. Great work”. Aside from that, three of Parker’s most recent songs have been released on the MDDN record label. In addition, Parker’s music has been chosen for broadcast to the Triple J Unearthed Platform, and he has managed to enter the Unearthed High Competition in 2023.

At Love Street Studio (located in Currumbin, Queensland, Australia) all of Parker’s tracks, including “Melancholy Way,” were recorded. The production duties were directed by Scott French, Dale Norton, and Sam himself. He composed the music and lyrics in the studio. Other than that, the engineering and mixing were handled by Scott French, who also recorded the Drums, Bass Guitar, and Slide Guitar sequences. Finally, it was pretty wholesome to hear Sam expressing gratitude for his mentor Dale Norton!