Reid Parsons Photo credit: Ben M. Collins
There’s a moment in Reid Parsons’ new single “Get Out Of Bed” where a gentle haze lifts, and something defiant stirs beneath the melancholy. It’s the sound of reckoning with inertia—not just the physical act of rising in the morning, but the psychological weight of trying to meet the day when the world feels too heavy. With this track, premiering today at The Big Takeover, Parsons offers listeners a candid and cathartic preview of her forthcoming debut album Back to Back, out April 25.
Says Parsons,
“This is a song that I wrote as a tool to dig myself out of the thick blanket of melancholia and self-pity that sometimes holds me down. I hope listeners interpret it however they want—that’s the beauty of music—but I wrote it as a kind of kick-in-the-pants anthem to step out of my comfort zone and face the day. There are so many things that are out of our control, but our perspective and resilience are things we can control, and this is a reminder. It was also an absolute and literal blast to record—the Hammond B3 organ with Leslie cabinet shook the whole room.”
Indeed, the organ hums like a life force beneath the track, propping up Parsons’ voice as it moves from a slow simmer to a rallying cry. There’s bluesy grit in her delivery, but also a clarity of intent—this is a song about resilience, not just survival. The track’s arrangement builds patiently, matching the lyrical arc: from fog to focus, from stillness to motion.
Parsons, who uses they/she pronouns, has quietly become one of Vermont’s most compelling musical voices, known for crafting intricate, emotionally vivid songs that blend orchestral Americana with threads of jazz, soul, and folk. Back to Back, produced, arranged, and written entirely by Parsons (with the exception of a smoky rendition of Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire”), is a self-contained sonic ecosystem. It was recorded straight to tape at Burlington’s Tank Recording Studio with engineer Ben Collette (Phish’s Trey Anastasio, Susan Tedeschi, Sharon Jones), and sequenced specifically for vinyl, adding to its handcrafted charm.
Growing up in the small town of Moretown, Vermont, Parsons developed an ear shaped by both the natural rhythms of their environment and an eclectic musical upbringing. Car rides with harmonica-playing parents were scored by Lucinda Williams and Steely Dan. Early piano lessons gave way to saxophone and jazz obsessions, while summer camp introduced guitar and songwriting. Those threads are tightly woven throughout Back to Back, which explores themes of mental health, intimacy, and creative survival in the aftermath of lockdown.
“Get Out Of Bed” is the album’s second track, and emotionally, one of its most powerful. It anchors the record’s broader theme of confronting discomfort and embracing forward motion. If the album opener and title track “Back to Back” offers quiet reverence for the rhythms of daily connection, this follow-up confronts the friction of facing those rhythms alone.
Parsons’ voice—fluid, warm, and unpretentious—sits at the center of everything. There’s something Anaïs Mitchell-like in her intimacy, something of Bonnie Raitt’s earthiness, but Parsons’ songwriting stands on its own. She’s an artist who doesn’t just tell stories, she builds rooms for the listener to walk around in. It’s no surprise, then, that she finds inspiration in architecture. “Music has always been where I can build a world to embrace all parts of myself,” she explains.
“Get Out Of Bed” is just that kind of world. Raw and reflective, but ultimately resilient, the song is a quiet anthem for anyone who has felt the weight of the covers and the pull of gravity in their bones. Parsons doesn’t promise that the day will be easy—just that it’s worth showing up for.
Back to Back arrives April 25. Parsons will be playing select dates across Vermont this spring, including a hometown release show at Shelburne Vineyard on March 28. With each release, she invites us deeper into a soundscape that feels both personal and universal, like a letter sent to everyone and no one at once. “Get Out Of Bed” is that letter—sealed with a Hammond swell, and signed in soul.
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