A New Age For Supermarket Parking Lot
All images courtesy of Kate Kotlyar
With new singles and rumors of a debut album swirling, Supermarket Parking Lot has been up to a lot since we last spoke. In April of 2023, I interviewed Marco Tewlow about Supermarket Parking Lot — his alternate persona — and since then, his life and career have changed drastically. He’s been on a roll, releasing singles, “Falling From A String” in February followed by “In Creative Desperation, Nothing Is Ever Straightforward When It Should Be,” in April.
Supermarket Parking Lot has always been Tewlow’s baby. Even as members change, his band remains his greatest support. Though the former drummer and guitarist have sadly left, the replacements only helped the band settle into a more stable place. “Our new drummer Sasha Hoven, in particular, has been a boon to the project,” says Tewlow. “...[after joining,] she very quickly decided that she wanted to spearhead the engineering process for our long-planned release, but [we were] never quite ready to record the debut album.”
“Falling From A String” is the second song Tewlow ever wrote. “I doodled the core rhythmic idea in a notebook during 10th grade English, scribbled lyrics during lunch periods and didn’t even catch onto the fact that I was writing anything.” The song is a concoction of 10th grade Tewlow’s brain – bits from his relationship at the time, references to “A Separate Peace” (a favorite book of his) and pieces of his own anti-establishment propaganda are present throughout it. He describes it as an ultimate death of the author, where a creative’s original intentions don’t pertain to the final meaning of their work. “Falling From a String” can mean anything to anyone.
“I doodled the core rhythmic idea in a notebook during 10th grade English, scribbled lyrics during lunch periods and didn’t even catch onto the fact that I was writing anything.”
The song has undeniable prog influences, but its buildup is very reminiscent of Franz Ferdinand. It's dynamic and explosive, deftly weaving through the scattered lyrics. The unique framing through a radio in the beginning, including a radio DJ announcing the song, is clever, and adds to the song’s grungy feel. Its character is influenced by every member of the band.
“ICDNIESWISB” comes from a similar place, though its core is much simpler. “It’s ultimately about desperation,” says Tewlow. “...the desperate want and need to express oneself and the ways we make it harder for ourselves than it needs to be.” Most of his music seems to stem from this anxiety over finding the right place for their unique sound in the music industry.
The band has taken a break from live performances to allow for recording and brainstorming on their new album. But, “performing is my everything,” Tewlow declares. Their music is created with the intention of playing it live. The show calendar is booked through the spring, with a show at State Park on April 28. Supermarket Parking Lot will also go on a mini tour with the new album, visiting New York in June and Providence, Rhode Island in August.
With his new bandmates, Tewlow has become comfortable developing his craft further and further. He wants to move in an art-rock direction, experimenting with increasingly complex songwriting and longer tracks. However, Tewlow worries about those accustomed to their first two singles’ punk sound. “ It’s a tough balance — trying to allow myself the space to be more expansive in my songwriting — as I don’t want to alienate people,” he says. “But, I think that across our music, old and new, the songs still feel cohesive.” The mysterious first album will absolutely incorporate this fresh direction, confirmed, as more than two thirds of it is already completed.
“We’ve really been taking recording much more seriously and the new band dynamic is fresh and exciting! Despite all that, I don’t think the creative ethos has changed at all, even if we’ve become more motivated to record,” Tewlow says.