ROCK STAR STATUS

When Parasol released the Crush Season EP back in November, you couldn’t be blamed if you took the co-ed power-pop trio at face value. After all, there’s the relentless cutesiness of their wide smiles and lyrics like those from standout track “Firecracker” (“We are like a punk-rock song/’Cause when we met it didn’t take long, and/We are like a pop-punk song/’Cause you sound so sweet when you sing along”). But Parasol are a band who care deeply about the DIY community and are passionate about radical politics and feminist ethics. With songs about supporting the scene, and about confronting issues like sexual assault and identity, they aren’t the kind of band you’ll find in age-restricted bars or clubs. But you will find them floating around your headspace — in addition to all-ages spaces and events like Smash It Dead Fest and the Anarchist Bookfair kickoff party — because songs like these are as strong as the message.

We be cute, but whatevahh. Also: CO-ED POWER POP TRIO…uhhhh….