PENI PARKER Talks New Solo Leveling Inspired Single

Much like all of the best musicians coming out of the incredible Australian heavy music scene, PENI PARKER is no stranger to anime. Her infectiously catchy rock songs both directly and indirectly remind listeners that to best appreciate the heavier side of things, they should be watching some anime in-between shows. I chatted with PARKER to learn more about her Solo Leveling inspired track “set my world alight (arise),” her anime inspirations, and forming the ultimate anime rock band. Can you tell me a little about your anime journey? How it started and where you are now? Are there genres you gravitate toward? What is your favorite anime series or movie of all time? PARKER : I started young, I actually have a picture at four dressed up as Sailor Moon and to this day I still watch a concerning amount of anime each week! I fell in love with shonen pretty quick; nothing beats an adventure with some characters to cheer for (and hopefully they don’t kill them off ). It’s a copout but I honestly can’t pick between the big three anymore, my favorite switches from year to year. I also have so much time for josei, to get traumatized in a different way. Ai Yazawa pulled me in with Nana and Paradise Kiss , how she handles such complex relationships, and in such a beautiful way! RELATED: NXCRE on Going Viral and His Full Circle Anime Moments Did you get into music around the same time as you got into anime? Were they separate interests for you or does one inform the other? PARKER : Yeah I think subconsciously they were always intertwined, I used both as escapism. As a young kid I had such a strong sense of justice and moral drive, which most likely came from a lot of anime/comics that I was consuming. This then inspired a lot of my writing and music too — it became a way to channel a lot of the anger I had toward the world. What do you think it is about your style of music, and heavy music in general, that draws anime fans to it? This seems particularly true of the scene in Australia. Do you have any ideas as to why that may be? PARKER : Oh good question, the energy maybe? In Australia the scene used to be very skate/surf focused, but now heavy musicians seem to be mainly nerds which is great. For my music, I know a lot of people just relate to the topics I discuss, navigating mental health, politics and fighting against bigotry. Shonen particularly explores those themes, like Killua needs to scream about his sh*tty family, Luffy wants to destroy the political system and Kafka Hibino just wants to protect what he loves and be enough. They all need some heavy music in their life! Who are some of your musical inspirations? Have you learned or been inspired by any anime openings, endings, or OSTs? Do you find your interest in anime influences your approach to songwriting at all? PARKER : I have so many, but My Chemical Romance, One Ok Rock, Xdinary Heroes and LiSA are huge inspirations of mine. My love for anime definitely inspires my style of writing, too. This last year I have listened to so, so many openings, it’s truly an art. The power of the perfect timing of the introduction to build could be studied! My goal is to create a song half as good as LiSA’s “Gurenge 紅蓮華” and hopefully make it on to an anime one day! If any of your songs could be used in an anime, which song would you want and what type of show would it be? PARKER : The new song “set my world alight (arise)” is inspired by Sung Jinwoo in Solo Leveling . I really resonated with his journey, hitting a low spot, then using an event to pivot and just run at the new opportunity with everything he’s got. With this track I really wanted to challenge myself to create something worthy of the show, you know? I’m sure Season 2 has their soundtrack already but creating music for Solo Leveling or something similar would be a dream. If any character from any anime or manga you’ve watched/read could join your band, who would you like it to be and what would they do in the band? PARKER : Oh so easy, I’d have a 4-piece band, Yasushi Takagi ( Nana ) on drums, Ryo Yamada on bass and Hitori Gotoh on guitar ( BOCCHI THE ROCK! ) I’d love an all girl band but Yasu is so calm and reliable, and doubles as a lawyer for band business which would be so helpful. I love Ryo’s style and attitude, then Bocchi is very similar to me, an anxious mess, but she absolutely shreds. This combo would be the perfect balance of chaos and shredding! RELATED: Ripped To Shreds' Andrew Lee on His Love of K-On Have you encountered many other anime fans in other bands? PARKER: So many! Recently I met Alpha Wolf at their show, Sabian, Lochie and I were yapping about recommendations and comparing anime tattoos while Emmy from Redhook just politely nodded at us. She joked that anime instantly made us besties. I need to get her into the cult next, maybe lure her with some seinen? I also played a show last year with Against the Current, I feel like they would have had some great recommendations too! What have you been watching lately? PARKER : I am obsessed with The Elusive Samurai at the moment and it really annoys me that it hasn’t blown up yet. If you like JUJUTSU KAISEN or Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba get on that!! But I’ve also recently enjoyed Kaiju no. 8 , Tower of God , and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End . In between those I have smashed through a few isekai lately, it’s a nice break in between heavier action and they always have such funny names. Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill made me laugh. Is there anything you’d like to plug or say to the Crunchyroll audience out there who may not be familiar with your music? PARKER : Come along for the ride!! It’s all very pop culture inspired but with strong anti-hero themes, I even have my own comic which you can download to dive further into the universe I’m creating! I make angry music for nerdy humans and I’d love to see more inclusivity in our scene, so I try to ensure my shows and the online community are safe spaces for everyone. This project draws attention to intersectionality, it’s fem and it’s supportive! Check out more of PENI PARKER’s music here . Follow PENI PARKER on Instagram , Twitter , and online .

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