Multi-instrumentalist producer-songwriters Jen O’Connor and Eric Krans are fearless in their willingness to explore new sound palettes for their intimate brand of art-pop. The Parlor continue to experiment with new instrumentation and blend their set of genre and stylistic songwriting influences. Kiku is a deeply personal concept record for The Parlor. Kiku, the Japanese word for chrysanthemum, began blooming in Krans and O’Connor’s farmhouse garden immediately following their second miscarriage, and so became a symbol of their grief, despair, resilience and faith. Kiku sounds moodier, gloomier and more anxious than The Parlor‘s previous music. It also feels simultaneously relaxed and playful in a way that balances the album’s heaviness with a showy bloom; an elaborate floral display. It’s a serious, and even sometimes sexy indie-pop drama; a confession of two lovers trying over and over again.

Check out The Parlor’s exclusive playlist for Ravelin.