Parkin began his professional music career with short-lived Perth grunge-pop 3 piece, Vinyl, who released only one EP, Lazeryouthanasia, in 1996.
In 2005, touring as Steve Parkin and the Foreign Films his debut solo album, Sandytown, was released through Shock to favourable national reviews and reception.
A second solo album, Mighty Big Light, was released in 2011 on Warner Music Australia imprint label Dirt Diamonds.
[2] Signed to Universal Music Publishing Group as a songwriter in 2013, Parkin has co-written songs with a number of other artists including Gossling, Lewis Watson, Ruby Boots, Shihad, Eskimo Joe, sharing in ARIA and APRA awards for single releases from Eskimo Joe's 2009 ARIA number one album Inshalla.
[4] Parkin is a member of Basement Birds, a side project he shares with Kevin Mitchell, Josh Pyke and Kavyen Temperley of Eskimo Joe.