After a year packed with prominent showcases for their music, including at SXSW Sydney, Auckland’s PARK RD have built on last year’s promise with a debut album packed with singalong choruses and headily youthful songwriting.
Their pop-meets-rock sound is firmly pitched towards fans of Spacey Jane (who, incidentally, once asked PARK RD to support them in Aotearoa) and The 1975 — particularly the latter. In Tom Chamberlain the band have a charismatic lead singer in the mould of Matt Healy.
The songs on The Novel are, almost to a fault at some junctures, pristinely polished for commercial viability, but increased experimentation and narrative risks can, for the PARK RD boys, wait until a second album. For now, The Novel achieves what any debut collection should: it gathers their most memorable singles together, while also providing just enough moments of sonic intrigue between those standout moments.
Stream: PARK RD, The Novel
This review features in the June-August 2024 issue of Rolling Stone AU/NZ. If you’re eager to get your hands on it, then now is the time to sign up for a subscription.
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