Park Rd performs Call Me Up. Made with funding from NZ On Air. Video / Locals Only
When five West Auckland teenagers first met in high school, little did they imagine they’d be releasing a debut album together just a few years later.
Auckland-based indie rock band PARK RD was formed in 2018 by five school mates hailing from Titirangi, named for the address where they first started practicing music together after school.
The group consists of Tom Chamberlain on vocals, Angus Hampton-Carr playing lead guitar, Leo Crawshaw-Bond on guitar, Te Kapua Pene on drums, and Carlos Martin on the bass.
“We all met in high school and it was a pretty small high school, so we ended up being kind of like the only musicians there - and it was also a way of expanding socially and meeting more new people,” recalls vocalist Tom Chamberlain.
A few successful gigs followed, inspiring them to apply for Smokefree Rockquest in 2019. They made it to the final, which Chamberlain says “none of us were really expecting” at the time.
After the competition, they continued to “fall in love” with music and wanted to keep riding the wave - and so they have.
Since then, they’ve played iconic Kiwi festivals Rhythm and Vines, Homegrown and Soundsplash multiple times, sold out gigs at The Tuning Fork and Galatos, and opened for artists like The Band Camino, Milky Chance and Spacey Jane.
Playing for crowds that size was “the turning point” where they realised their dream was becoming a reality, says guitarist Leo Crawshaw-Bond, who recalls, “R&V was a huge highlight, definitely the biggest crowd we’ve played to”.
Now their debut album The Novel is set for release on May 24, and Chamberlain says it feels “unreal”.
“It’s taken probably like two and a half years from when we started the first song on the album to now,” he shares.
“So that feels pretty wild. I’m just pretty excited to get it out - I just want people to hear it.”
Call Me Up, performed and recorded live for Locals Only, is a recently-released track that shows a glimpse of what to expect from the new album.
The band’s genre is loosely labelled as indie or surf rock/pop, and anyone who’s spent time around the beaches of West Auckland will get a sense of where the PARK RD boys got their inspiration from.
The songs evoke sun, surf, drinking with your mates on a summer evening and catching waves - in fact, as we speak, Chamberlain has just come in from a morning surf.
While the album release marks a huge milestone for the band, they’re looking ahead to what’s next - including a tour around Australia, which Crawshaw-Bond says is “going to be crazy”.
A busy touring schedule means they’ll be spending all their time together, travelling and performing - does it ever take a toll on the group dynamic?
Bass player Martin admits: “Every now and then you run into a little hiccup, which is just around how a song’s going direction-wise or something like that, but for the most part it’s usually pretty easy.
“I feel like there’s a base level of understanding and respect everyone is on, so it tends to be pretty smooth.”
West Auckland indie rock band PARK RD are set to release their debut album The Novel. Photo / Mikee Tucker
“There’s definitely long hours and you’re on the road for a long time,” Chamberlain agrees.
“Managing everyone’s personal space is something we’re still working on - it definitely comes with its testing moments. You just work through it, and normally the rewards are a good reminder of why we’re still doing it.”
While they’re excited for the new album’s release tomorrow and have enjoyed a break after a busy summer, Chamberlain reveals there’s already new music in the works.
“We’re currently in the writing stage for album two, which is really exciting - just getting our teeth into something new,” he says.
“It’s been nice to have a little bit of time off after the summer. We played the most shows we’ve ever played over over a summer, lots of festivals.
“I guess the album just feels really special to all of us, I think, and it just feels like its own magical little world. And I think we’re really proud of it, just really excited for people to hear it.”
