Parenthetical Girls was an

experimental pop Experimental pop is pop music that cannot be categorized within traditional musical boundaries or which attempts to push elements of existing popular forms into new areas. It may incorporate experimental music, experimental techniques such as m ...

band formed in

Everett, Washington Everett (; ) is the county seat and most populous city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the Seattle metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett ...

in 2002, and disbanded in 2013.

History

Begun by lead singer Zac Pennington, the band originally known as

Swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

Girls in 2003. Pennington released ''(((GRRRLS)))'', the band's vinyl-only debut album on his own Slender Means Society label in 2004. Recorded with the help of Jherek Bischoff and Jamie Stewart (the latter of

Xiu Xiu Xiu Xiu ( ) is an American experimental rock band, formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart in San Jose, California. Currently, the line-up consists of multi-instrumentalists Stewart (the only constant member since formation), Angel ...

), ''(((GRRRLS)))'' featured different mixes of the seven songs on each side of the record. Beginning in 2010, the band released a series of limited 12" EPs which would later be compiled into their 2013 album ''Privilege''. The records were sold through Pennington's Slender Means Society label directly to fans, rather than distributed to record stores. At the end of the cycle, the fifth record came packaged with a box to house all the releases. The release was notable as each record was hand-numbered in the blood of the band number featured on the cover.

Breakup

On June 19, 2017, Pennington announced his new project, Comedienne, which includes

Deerhoof Deerhoof is an American musical group formed in San Francisco in 1994. It consists of founding drummer Greg Saunier, bassist and singer Satomi Matsuzaki, and guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez. Beginning as an improvised noise punk band ...

Greg Saunier Gregory Lovell Saunier ( , born 18 May 1969) is a musician, producer, and composer best known as the drummer and founding member of Deerhoof. ''Rolling Stone'' included Saunier alongside Brian Chippendale (of Lightning Bolt) and Zach Hill ( ...

and longtime collaborator

Jherek Bischoff Jherek Bischoff (born September 11, 1979) is an American composer, arranger, producer, and multi-instrumental performer based in Los Angeles. His credits include over seventy albums and compositions for orchestra, opera, film, theater, and ballet ...

. The announcement came alongside news that Parenthetical Girls is officially defunct. As of 2019, Pennington is engaged in a project, entitled Popular Music, alongside Prudence Rees-Lee. They released their first album, a collection of covers from pop culture called Popular Music Plays in Darkness, on November 20, 2020. Their second album, Minor Works, was released on October 13, 2023. Their third album, Against Men, was released on April 18th, 2025.

Discography

Albums

* 2004 ''(((GRRRLS)))'' * 2006 '' Safe as Houses'' * 2008 '' Entanglements'' * 2013 '' Privilege (Abridged)''

Singles and EPs

* 2004 ''Christmas with Parenthetical Girls'' EP * 2006 ''Twenty Bees'' 7" * 2006 ''A Parenthetical Girls Family Christmas'' EP * 2007 ''Parenthetical Girls/The Dead Science split 7-inch, Parenthetical Girls/Dead Science'' 7" split * 2007 ''Addendum'' (''Safe as Houses'' European bonus EP) * 2008 ''A David Horvitz Picture Disc with Parenthetical Girls'' * 2008 ''A Song for Ellie Greenwich'' * 2009 ''The Scottish Play: Wherein the Group Parenthetical Girls Pay Well-intentioned (If Occasionally Misguided) Tribute to the Works of

Ivor Cutler Ivor Cutler (born Isadore Cutler, 15 January 1923 – 3 March 2006) was a Scottish poet, singer, musician, songwriter, artist and humorist. He became known for his regular performances on BBC radio, and in particular his numerous sessions recor ...

'' (Mini-Album) * 2009 ''Morrissey/The Smiths'' 7" split (with Xiu Xiu) * 2009 ''"The Christmas Creep"'' * 2010 ''Tomlab Alphabet Singles Series Z'' * 2010 ''Privilege, Pt. I: On Death & Endearments'' * 2010 ''Privilege, Pt. II: The Past, Imperfect'' * 2011 ''"Untanglements"'' (Entanglements Alternate Versions) * 2011 ''Covers.'' (Rare Cover Versions) * 2011 ''Privilege, Pt. III: Mend & Make Do'' * 2011 ''Careful Who You Dance With'' (Remixes EP) * 2011 ''Extra Life/Parenthetical Girls'' 12" split * 2011 ''"Demos for the Dreaming"'' (Kate Bush Covers) * 2011 ''Privilege, pt. IV: Sympathy For Spastics'' * 2011 ''Parenthetical Girls Save Christmas'' * 2012 ''Privilege, pt. V: Portrait of a Reputation'' * 2012 ''Good Christian Men Rejoice, It's Parenthetical Girls''

Band members

Final members * Zac Pennington – vocals, guitars, glockenspiel, keyboards, other instruments * Jherek Bischoff – percussion, drums, keyboards, production, arrangements * Amber W. Smith – keyboards, backing vocals * Paul Alcott – drums, keyboards, electronic percussion Former members * Jeremy Cooper – multi-instrumentalist * E. Scott Yates – unknown instruments, arrangements * Sam Mickens – guitars, keyboards, percussion, electronics, backing vocals, arrangements * Rebecca Carlisle-Healy – backing vocals, keyboards, glockenspiel * Kitty Jenson – backing vocals * Rachael Jenson – keyboards, glockenspiel, violin, backing vocals, percussion * Matt Carlson - keyboards, guitars, backing vocals, arrangements, production * Brenna Murphy - percussion, keyboards * Eddy Crichton - drums, percussion, keyboards, guitars * Freddy Ruppert - keyboards, electronic percussion, electronics

Timeline

Slender Means Society

Slender Means Society is an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

founded in 2004 by Zac Pennington, vocalist for the band Parenthetical Girls. The label's premier release was their debut, "(((GRRRLS)))", in 2004. The label has since released records by the likes of

The Blow The Blow is an American electro pop band, comprising Khaela Maricich and Melissa Dyne. Maricich and Dyne write, compose, produce and perform all the music. It was formed as a solo project by Maricich in 2002, and she was joined by Jona Bechtolt ...

Final Fantasy is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

, Lucky Dragons, Love Letter Band, The Dead Science,

, PWRFL POWER, Idol Fodder, and

Grouper Groupers are a diverse group of marine ray-finned fish in the family Epinephelidae, in the order Perciformes. Groupers were long considered a subfamily of the seabasses in Serranidae, but are now treated as distinct. Not all members of this f ...

Discography

* SMS000 Parenthetical Girls – (((GRRRLS))) * SMS001

– Poor Aim: Love Songs (co-release with States Rights Records) * SMS002

– The Ghost & The Eyes w/ Trees in the Ground, Outside the Window (co-release with States Rights Records) * SMS003 Lucky Dragons – Nortenas (co-release with States Rights Records) * SMS004 Love Letter Band – This World Be My Church (co-release with States Rights Records) * SMS005 Parenthetical Girls – Safe as Houses * SMS006 The Dead Science – Crepuscule with the Dead Science * SMS007

vs.

– Creepshow (co-release with States Rights Records) * SMS008 Idol Fodder – Bäbytalk (co-release with States Rights Records) * SMS009 PWRFL POWER – PWRFL POWER * SMS010 Parenthetical Girls – Entanglements (co-release with Tomlab) * SMS011

– Plays To Please * SMS012a Parenthetical Girls – Privilege, pt. I: On Death & Endearments * SMS012b Parenthetical Girls – Privilege, pt. II: The Past, Imperfect

References

* Bowers, William. (July 6, 2006
"Parenthetical Girls: Safe As Houses"
Retrieved July. 22, 2007. * Unterberger, Richie. (2006) "Allmusic Review - Safe As Houses."Retrieved July. 22, 2007. ;Specific

External links

Official band site

Slender Means Society
(record label) {{Authority control American experimental musical groups Musical groups from Portland, Oregon Musical groups established in 2003 People from Everett, Washington 2003 establishments in Washington (state)