An intimate glimpse into Park Rd’s debut album ‘The Novel’ and their rise to fame

Photographs by Sara Regan

The 5-piece indie/rock band from Auckland, has burst onto the scene with their debut album 'The Novel'. Released just a month ago, the album has already made waves, showcasing their energetic indie-pop sound and establishing them as a rising force in the music industry. Tracks like 'Call Me Up', 'Every Night', 'Save The Planet', 'Secrets', and 'Ride' highlight their knack for catchy melodies and vibrant production.

During their time in Melbourne, we sat down and had a chat about the new album. I wasn’t sure what to expect meeting the band but despite having arrived straight from the airport, they were a great energetic bunch to be around. With ‘The Novel’ only being out for a week at this point, the band exuded great enthusiasm about the release. Leo and Carlos weren’t hesitant to share their relief of having their album out in the world. Having worked on it for years, they were “already writing for the next album” ready to immerse themselves in the new era of Park Rd.

‘Call Me Up’ is one of the many standout tracks off the album. Tom shared how the song was inspired by one of Leo’s demos on his computer. Carlos would sing “bring it back” with the chorus melody and after months of not thinking about the song, those melodies came back to Tom and he revisited the potential of the song, leading to the smash hit.

When listening to the album, I couldn’t help but draw parallels to music by the likes of The 1975 and Spacey Jane. Mentioning this to the band, they had definitely heard this before from other listeners. Leo shared how they “love the production of those bands and they are a big influence on the direction of our music”. However, being a 5-piece band, it’s inevitable that they have slightly different tastes in music. When I asked before the interview if they had any music requests, Tom shared that Leo liked Fontaines D.C. but Tom was more in favour of up-and-coming pop artists like Gracie Abrams and Clairo.

Halfway through their run of shows opening for The Rions at the time, the band shared that they were “having a great time so far”. Angus noted that the “crowds are larger” when it comes to the support act, making the band feel really “welcome in Australia.” for their first visit. Tom made note of their gig the night before in Hobart where he couldn’t believe how full the venue was, especially how interested Australians were in up-and-coming artists like Park Rd. Supporting The Rions alongside Blusher, they were stoked to be sharing the stage with “such great artists” Tom added.

Formed from their school years, the band have no doubt spent a lot of time creating music together. When I asked about the process behind writing their music Carlos shared that there was no order or process at all, “it’s just a mixing pot of ideas” and “taking bits we like from each idea”. There is of course a level of compromise each member makes to ensure their sound is cohesive but they have it all down pat.

Throughout the album, there are some deep tracks like ‘Asleep: Awake’ with lyrics like ‘I’m afraid of losing my mother’ and ‘I don’t know how to get over you’ which dive into dark experiences and trauma throughout life. When I asked the band about these lyrics, Tom shared how they are about the reflection of the highs and lows in life, through love and loss and putting that into words, or in this case, lyrics.

Listening to ‘The Novel’ you can’t help but admire the cohesive listening experience front-to-back. You won't be bored at all, with a perfect balance of upbeat hits and slower and tame tracks in between. Each track has a refreshing sound from one another. I asked the band about what went behind the curation of the tracklist and Leo shared how the only key tracks they set were ‘June’ and ‘Every Night’ at the beginning and end of the album. “The rest were just slotted into place until the tracks sounded good in this order” he added. 

As Leo mentioned earlier, the band have already started working on their next project, so I had to ask about the direction in which they’re headed with this new album. Carlos and Leo both expressed how they are still in the “early stages of this new era” but are “open to anything and only time and experience can tell”. 

To conclude the interview, I asked the band if they could sum up ‘The Novel’ in three words to someone who had never listened to it before, and it was safe to say that it took them a few minutes. The whirlwind of emotion both musically and lyrically makes it hard to sum it up in just three words. They finally came down to “Nostalgic, young and love” when I was then put on the spot to come up with three words, and boy did I struggle. However, they were pretty pleased when I came down to “Ethereal, vulnerable and naive”.

With their headline tour hitting Australian shores in September, we may have some unreleased tracks that the band will tease (no promises though!). Make sure you snatch up some tickets for their Sydney and Melbourne shows here, you won’t want to miss out! 

‘The Novel’ is also OUT NOW and available to buy or stream on all platforms here.