Zac Pennington

Parenthetical Girls
Zac Pennington live with Parenthetical Girls at Lucignolo, Verona, 2007.
Background information
Origin	Everett, Washington, United States
Genres	Baroque pop Pop Experimental music
Years active	2002–2013
Labels	Slender Means Society, Acuarela Discos, Tomlab
Associated acts	The Dead Science, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Former Ghosts, Xiu Xiu
Past members	Zac Pennington Jherek Bischoff Amber W. Smith Paul Alcott Eddy Crichton (2006-2011) Freddy Ruppert (2010) Rachael Jensen (2006-2011) Jeremy Cooper (2003-2004) Sam Mickens (2004-2006) Matt Carlson Rebecca Carlisle-Healy (2004-2005) Owen Ashworth (2005) Brenna Murphy (2006)

Parenthetical Girls was an experimental pop band formed in Everett, Washington. Their music is notable for its combination of mainstream pop and experimental elements.

Begun primarily as a recording project between Zac Pennington and Jeremy Cooper, the band went through several line-up changes, all sharing a variety of instrumental duties, and was known for its revolving-door policy to membership, with Pennington the only constant. Other members, like Jherek Bischoff and former touring musician Sam Mickens (both of the band The Dead Science) continued to contribute to the group's recorded output, though neither toured with the band.

Originally named Swastika Eye, after the Brian Eno and Robert Fripp composition, the band self-released their limited run debut EP Christmas With Swastika Girls in 2002. Following Cooper's departure and a name change, Pennington released (((GRRRLS))), the band's vinyl-only debut album on his own Slender Means Society label in 2004. Recorded with the help of Jherek Bischoff and Jamie Stewart (the latter of Xiu Xiu), (((GRRRLS))) featured different mixes of the seven songs on each side of the record.

This was followed by the digital-only self-release of their second Christmas-themed EP Christmas with Parenthetical Girls that same year, as well as their second album Safe as Houses (released by Slender Means Society in the United States and Acuarela Discos in Europe), the expanded CD reissue of the (((GRRRLS))) album, and a third self-released Christmas EP A Parenthetical Girls Family Christmas in 2006. A split 7-inch with the band The Dead Science was released by Obsolete Vernacular in 2007. Entanglements, the group's orchestral third album, was released in September 2008 as a split release via Tomlab and Slender Means Society.

Beginning in 2010, the band released a series of limited 12" EPs which would later be compiled into their 2013 album Privilege. The records were sold through Pennington's Slender Means Society label direct to fans, rather than distributed to record stores. At the end of the cycle, the fifth record came packaged with a box to house all the releases. The release was notable as each record was hand-numbered in the blood of the band number featured on the cover. The first 12", entitled Privilege, Pt. I: On Dead And Endearments, was released February 23, 2010 and was numbered in the blood of lead singer Zac Pennington. The second Privilege EP, subtitled The Past, Imperfect, was released on September 21, 2010. Privilege (Abridged), was released on February 14, 2013, containing 12 tracks taken from the five Privilege EPs.