Lonely Parrots Explore the Invisible Pull Between Us on “Soulmates”

San Francisco Bay Area folk-pop duo Lonely Parrots are giving “Soulmates” two distinct lives, releasing both the polished original and a live acoustic version that strips the track back to the intimacy at its core. Made up of singer-songwriters Michael Martinez and Max Embers, the duo arrives with individual résumés that include Songland, American Idol, and collaborations with Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Ryan Tedder, Naika, and John Oates.

“Soulmates” takes a broader view of a concept usually reserved for romance. For Lonely Parrots, a soulmate can be a partner, friend, family member, or anyone whose arrival seems almost impossibly timed, changing the direction of your life while helping you understand yourself more clearly.

That philosophy carries extra weight considering the song’s origins. Martinez and Embers began writing it while they were still friends, before their relationship evolved into a romantic partnership. Much of the track was written on acoustic guitar throughout San Francisco, including after an emotional conversation on a cliffside as the pair attempted to understand the connection forming between them.

The original transforms that deeply personal beginning into bright, synth-driven pop, balancing organic instrumentation with a bigger electronic palette. The production gives “Soulmates” movement and optimism without sanding away its vulnerability, allowing an intensely specific story to feel surprisingly universal.

The live acoustic version reverses the equation. Without the larger pop framework, the songwriting moves forward, bringing the chemistry between Martinez and Embers into sharper focus and returning the track closer to the acoustic spaces where it was first created.

Together, the two versions make a convincing case for “Soulmates” as more than a love song. One celebrates the rush of finding that connection; the other reminds us how quietly it can begin.