Allan Parmenter’s new single, “Gasoline,” is a slow-burning triumph of blues-pop fusion that drips with introspection, heart, and just the right amount of fire. Within just a few bars, Parmenter sets an atmosphere that feels instantly familiar and new, the sort of music that could be wafting out of a bar at midnight, even as it hums with thoroughly contemporary pop sensibilities.
“Gasoline” delves into the narrator’s inner reflections, presenting vibrant emotional landscapes with lines that flicker like candlelight in a dark room. The narration is an honest, leisurely one, making space for the listener to bask in the tension between thought and feeling, its perfect habitat into which blues can inhale.
Parmenter takes bold chances. Strange chord progressions and unpredictable harmonies unfold under a melody that feels effortlessly catchy. It’s this mix of sophisticated emotion that gives “Gasoline” its unique edge, a modern spin on classic blues forms, done in reverent homage to figures like John Mayer and Eric Clapton, but charting its own course.
The high, spiraling guitar lines break through like a flame catching life at last, both expressive and lyrical, full of controlled chaos. It’s the emotional peak that we’ve been waiting for in the song, and Parmenter delivers it with remarkable accuracy and a great deal of heart.