A man eats so much sushi that it leads to mercury poisoning. A mother disappears in one of America’s most haunting true-crime cases. Someone falls so hard they can’t tell the difference between love and obsession anymore.
Those are three of the 20 songs on Wes Parker’s debut album, Super Rare, and they sit comfortably within the album’s unique world.
That probably shouldn’t be surprising.
Long before Parker started building worlds through songs, he was creating unforgettable characters online. His viral alter ego, Skunk, an “amicable crust punk” born out of a sketch-writing class, introduced a growing audience to his offbeat sense of humor. But music came first.
Raised in Richmond, Virginia, Parker grew up around musicians, from family bluegrass roots to an older brother who built a career as a touring and recording guitarist. He found his own footing in the city’s indie-rock scene, eventually fronting Camp Howard — the group he still calls his “career band” — which toured the country before going their separate ways in 2021.
When the band split, Parker didn’t rush into anything. “I was scared to start a solo project for a long time,” he told VPM. He kept writing anyway. And somewhere along the way, things got delightfully weird.
Released June 5 through Big Machine Rock, a Gebbia Media-owned label, Super Rare puts Parker on a roster alongside Sammy Hagar, Daughtry and Ryan Perdz. The album marks a new chapter for Parker following his years in Camp Howard and his gradual move into solo work.
Spend a few minutes with the record and you understand why so many people bet on Parker. Each track plays like a short film, but don’t expect everything to come wrapped up with a neat explanation. “I might write with something in mind, but it’s like a cloud in the sky,” he explained. “People are going to see different shapes in it.”
The songwriting is part of what makes it stick. “Tattoo” opens with a brutally honest look at addiction. “Bad Doggie” hides guilt beneath a fuzzy ’90s-inspired riff. “Split Ends” started as a joke between friends to see who could write the worst song, then somehow turned into one worth keeping. He even reimagines Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor” as dreamy bedroom pop.
For all its dark corners, the album never stays heavy for long. A character named DJ Charlie-Horse turns up between tracks with warped late-night radio bits, cutting the tension right before the next gut-punch. It’s the clearest sign of Parker’s comedy background sneaking back into the record — and somehow, the jokes make the heavy moments land even harder.
Turns out, he didn’t have to choose between being funny and writing great songs. Other people are starting to notice, too. Parker recently wrapped a spring headlining tour across North America, spent time on the road with Shakey Graves and is headed to All Things Go this September.
Not bad for a guy who once admitted he wasn’t sure he could do this on his own.
SPIN Magazine newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.
