Pærish: Rita

With their fourth album, Rita, French alternative rock band Pærish deliver a record brimming with ambition and conviction. Named after the patron saint of impossible causes, the album explores the struggles and sacrifices that come with life in a band, while celebrating the dreams that keep you moving forward when the road gets rough. Across 11 tracks, Pærish fuse crushing guitars, hazy shoegaze textures and heartfelt emotion into their most direct and energetic album to date.

Unlike their previous album, You’re In Both Dreams (And You’re Scared), which was written during the COVID lockdowns, Rita feels much more free and spontaneous. The band wanted to make music that would get people moving at their live shows, and that energy is clear from the start. Opener ‘Prince Of Darkness’ kicks things off with noisy guitars and pounding drums, setting the tone for an album that is louder and heavier than anything they’ve done before.

Tracks like ‘Heal’ and ‘Vapor Cloud’ bring together powerful riffs and a darker atmosphere. Both songs feel raw and full of emotion, while ‘Wait For Dark’ stands out for the way it builds. The song opens with quieter, more restrained vocals, giving the listener a chance to settle into its atmosphere before everything bursts into life. As the guitars grow louder and the drums hit harder, the track builds towards an explosive climax. The contrast between the gentle opening and the sheer force of what follows makes it one of the album’s most effective moments. The guitar work is particularly impressive here, moving between more delicate passages and a huge wall of sound without losing its sense of melody.

‘Crashing In Circles’ offers a slight change of pace, showing that the band can balance their heavier side with more dreamy and atmospheric moments. The shoegaze influences that have always been part of Pærish’s sound are still present, but they now sit alongside a rougher, more immediate approach.

That softer side is just as important to the album. ‘Always Assuming’ mixes heavy guitars with a sense of nostalgia, while closing track ‘Soothe’ lives up to its name with its beautiful, calming sound. ‘Hurry Slowly’ is another standout, offering a more personal and vulnerable moment. These songs reflect singer and guitarist Mathias Court’s memories of being a teenager and dreaming of becoming a songwriter. Now, with four albums behind him, those dreams have become reality.

Recorded in Philadelphia with Grammy winning producer Will Yip, Rita also benefits from the stronger chemistry between the band members. Drummer Loïc Fouquet has more room to bring his own style into the music, adding extra power and energy to the songs.

What makes Rita work so well is the way it balances heaviness with emotion. Pærish clearly draw inspiration from American alternative rock, but their music also carries the personal memories and experiences of growing up in France. That combination gives the album its own character. With this album Pærish sound more confident, more focused and more willing to push themselves. It’s a record that celebrates how far they’ve come without forgetting where they started. Heavy, melodic and full of heart, Rita proves that sometimes the best way forward is to reconnect with the dream that started it all.