Songwriter Dean McMullen (former Muncie Girls) has announced ‘Part Two’, an intimate indie-folk album inspired by his family experience of Parkinson’s Disease. Set to be released 4th December in support of Parkinson’s UK, the project will see 100% of profit from a limited run of eco-conscious vinyl donated to the charity, alongside 50% of digital sales from Bandcamp. Its intention is to be both a personal statement and small act of care.
Warm, reflective and quietly resilient, ‘Part Two’ explores illness, growing older, unfinished conversations and the acceptance that some things can’t be fixed. Written over several years and largely recorded at home, the album blends intimate songwriting with an understated, organic sound.
The project’s announcement comes alongside the release of new single ‘The Only Thing’, which is accompanied by a music video compiled of real 1950s and 60s cine film. The film depicts Dean’s family and his father as a child and young man. The song is nostalgic, reflecting on bittersweet memories like crawling “in between the armchairs” as his dad ‘pretends he doesn’t know, turns around and makes a joke’ or “driving through the country lanes to watch the stormy skies’, when loud thunder makes Dean’s mum jump and makes young Dean in the back seat laugh.
A Word From Dean:
“I remember mum and dad sitting my brother and I down in 2011 – I was 18. Dad had been experiencing some unusual symptoms – his voice had become weaker – we’d all noticed that, but he also had strange feelings of fatigue and physical ‘hesitations’. It took quite some time for the doctor to reach a diagnosis because he was so young, but all too soon he’d joined the rapidly growing number of people affected by early on-set Parkinson’s Disease.
While Parkinson’s itself is not contagious, in its own way it spreads throughout a family, gradually taking away opportunity, freedom, character and hope.
I wrote these songs over a couple of years. They’re not only about my family’s experience with Parkinson’s, but many are and the rest are set within that context. There are lots of people in similar situations so I hope the songs reach them. More than that, I hope the project has a positive impact, raising funds, helping support families and prevent further suffering.
Dad could fix anything – technically minded, endlessly resourceful and creative – he was a problem-solver. Stacked around his garage (which he built himself), were projects and past-times I couldn’t begin to understand. Give him any broken household item and an hour, it would come back working. He built his own drones before drones were commonplace, he even attached cameras to them. If there was a problem, he worked out a solution. “The Only Thing he couldn’t fix, was getting sick.”
Any support you can offer, whether that be by helping share and spread word of the campaign, making a contribution or simply listening to the music, is so greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading.”
A Word From Parkinson’s UK
“We are incredibly grateful to Dean for choosing to support Parkinson’s UK through the release of this lovely album. Fundraising initiatives like this help us continue to fund groundbreaking research and provide vital support and information for people living with Parkinson’s, their families and carers across the UK. We wish Dean every success with the project and thank everyone who chooses to support it.”
See Dean perform songs from the project live:
19th December – Exeter – 12 Bar
20th December – Bude – The Barrel
