“We're currently trying to work on a few ideas for whatever the next album happens to be,” Dan says. “We prefer to sort of put our heads down and work on that side of things rather than play shows and take up time.
“We're really trying to progress. I guess a lot of bands sort of say that when they're writing, but to us it's really important to do something quite different to our first album.”

'Progression' for Parades means developing on the hardcore influences that brought the band together in the first place.
“I guess we're trying to be more hardcore in some aspects but wanting for it to sound less obvious, if that makes sense. We're trying to look more into extremes … explore the highs and the lows and everything in between a bit more.”

With all band members being songwriters in their own right, the writing process has been somewhat haphazard.
“We went a couple of months just kind of writing with no sort of direction in mind,” Dan reflects. “Then Tim (the other guitarist) spoke up and said, 'Is this really working, guys?' [Then] we sat down and said out loud what we wanted it to sound like. That's helped bring all the ideas closer to the centre.”

Live shows were once similarly haphazard, with the live Parades outfit consisting of up to three extra members on stage.
“We felt like that's what we needed to do to be true to the album recordings. I think there was a part of us that was afraid of not being true to the album. Logistically it was such a hassle. It was time consuming as well, which was a pain. So we made the decision to just do it with the band.

“The four of us are the heart and soul of everything that we do, so in a way I think that's truer to the idea of Parades as opposed to the idea of an album ... it's not a carbon copy of what we do on the record, but I think it's a bit more real.”

Parades play Surrealism Up Late at the Gallery of Modern Art on July 15.