Parent Teacher Preview Tricks For Meds With “Narcissists” and “Timeline Rabies”

Richard Spitzer’s Parent Teacher project has already staked out a curious lane with Tricks For Meds, and the new single “Narcissists” gives the album’s shape a little more definition. A few weeks ago, Spitzer introduced the record with the memorably titled “Timeline Rabies.” Now he’s back with another cut from the same release, offering a second look at a project that feels more thought-out than the usual scattershot indie-rock roll-out.

What stands out first is how hard the record resists easy placement. The songs carry a punk bite, but they also lean into the kind of pop sensibility that keeps them from tipping into abrasion for its own sake. There’s a trace of Angel Du$t in the way Spitzer threads edge through material that’s otherwise built to stick, while his vocal presence brings to mind Enon’s John Schmersal filtered through something not far from Hotline TNT. That’s only part of it. Tricks For Meds also pulls from grunge, power-pop, space-rock, post-punk, and pop-punk, with an electronic streak running through the guitar-band foundation. The result is catchy without being disposable, and specific enough to feel like it knows exactly what it wants to do even as it moves across styles.

These singles don’t give away the whole record, but they do make the larger picture look promising. Spitzer’s instinct for combining propulsion with detail is what keeps Parent Teacher from sounding like just another genre mosaic. Tricks For Meds suggests a project with a clear point of view, even when its influences are working in different directions.

TRACKLIST:
01 “magazines say”
02 “trickster”
03 “bluetooth heaven”
04 “threat of the gun”
05 “edge behavior”
06 “timeline rabies”
07 “oblivion on”
08 “narcissists”
09 “zombie”
10 “FAFO”
11 “wrecking ball”

Tricks For Meds is out 6/11 via Wilbur & Moore. Pre-order it here.