Minnesota-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist Charlie Parr’s new album, Little Sun, is out now.
An underground DIY legend who has released seventeen previous albums, Little Sun is Parr’s first album not to be recorded entirely live.
“Up until this very album, my recordings have always been done live, with few if any overdubs and nearly always the first take—leave all the mistakes, missed lyrics, extraneous noise, and whatever else might happen there for the ages,” Parr said in a statement. “Most records have been recorded in roughly the time that it took to play the songs.”
With his most successful tracks on the album, Parr develops a complicated yet simple sound demonstrating commercial viability while maintaining his DIY, outsider credibility—a sound best captured on Portland Avenue.
“Don’t you wonder where Annie went. After the third time, they picked her up? No one here has seen her since, and I’ve got an apartment full of her stuff.” Parr sings in the track.
Accompanied by a driving beat and classic blues riff we’ve come to expect from Parr; these eight tracks offer a clarifying work inspired by the world and people around him. Parr reflects on our changing humanity in the digital age. The themes touch on lost connections from a bygone era when people could just disappear.
Watch ‘Portland Avenue’ by Charlie Parr
Nostalgia for those who pass through life is the fleeting moments of connection heard across multiple tracks on the album. Parr recognizes the significance of relationships missed in the past and appreciated only retrospectively as life slows and makes room for reflection.
The track ‘Stray’ most profoundly touches on these themes. In it, Parr sings about those without a home—those who disappear.
Watch ‘Stray’ by Charlie Parr
In ‘Little Sun,’ Parr reflects on the changing significance of music in modern times. The album’s title track is a Tribute to David Curtis Glover, better known as Tony “Little Sun” Glover.
Glover was an American blues musician and music critic born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1939. He was instrumental in developing the Mississippi Headwaters Sound from which Parr emerged.
Glover was an all-night underground disc jockey in the late sixties on KDWB-AM in Saint Paul, Minnesota, before forming the band Nine Below Zero. He often performed as a duo with Ray and Koerner, Ray & Glover reunion concerts.
“Watching Tony Glover play the harmonica was mystical to me. He folded himself around the instrument, it looked very personal, and sometimes I wondered if we should even be watching. It felt intimate,” Parr writes in the liner notes.
In the track, Parr sings, “The music, it plays everywhere. Did you hear better when you were young? The tones are getting quiet. Come back home, Little Sun.”
Watch ‘Little Sun’ by Charlie Parr
‘Bear Head Lake’ reflects the beauty of nature and the need to disconnect from the noise of the modern world.
It encourages listeners to “Go north. Find a quiet place where you can’t hear the engines anymore, can’t smell the cigarette smoke or diesel fumes, where you can’t see the neon lights or get a signal on your cell phone,” as Parr writes in the album.
With a two-minute instrumental, the track provides a more traditional artistic expression than Parr’s previous catelog.
Secluded in the Northwoods, ‘Bear Head Lake’ is a state park with pristine lakes home to black bears, nesting eagles, wolves, and moose.
Watch ‘Bear Head Lake’ by Charlie Parr
‘Boombox’ is the most commercially viable track on the album and highlights the contributions of Tucker Martine, Parr’s friend, collaborator, and producer.
Martine has worked with artists like Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists, and My Morning Jacket. With Parr, he offers an album version of the track quite different from Parr’s solo live performance of the song.
The lyrics celebrate music heard among neighbors across property lines.
“In this neighborhood, music is eternal and transcendent and surrounds us at all times, whether we’re listening or not. And it affects each of us differently, and that’s a gift.” Parr sings.
Watch ‘Boombox’ by Charlie Parr
Born in Austin, MN, and now based in Duluth, MN, Parr released his debut novel, Last of the Better Days Ahead, in the fall of 2022.
In addition to his work as a musician, Parr recently released his debut novel, Last of the Better Days Ahead. His latest album promises to be a clarifying reflection on the world and people around him, and fans are eagerly anticipating its release.
Parr will continue to tour through this summer, including shows at Nashville’s American Legion Post 82, Denver’s Bluebird Theater, Seattle’s The Crocodile, San Francisco’s The Chapel, Los Angeles’ Gold Diggers, Minneapolis’ First Avenue, St. Louis’ The Old Rock House and Kansas City’s recordBar among many others. Full details can be found at www.charlieparr.com/tour-dates.