New Music Review - ‘Stupid Stories’ the EP by Park RD
Stupid Stories was released on Friday, 10th June 2022. Awesome artwork by Reuben Derham.
The Park RD boys are back in town and they are sending us to bop city with their new six track EP, Stupid Stories, which was let out of the cage last Friday.
A gigantic run into the right direction, Tom, Leo, TK, Angus and Carlos put all that they have into their new creations, showcasing a deeper side to their music, with a twang of spunky fun incorporated in true Park RD style.
Let’s break down each song, shall we?
Jumpstarting the EP and bringing in a softer indie-pop vibe which was the second single from Stupid Stories, Coastline is a romantically hectic song that makes this tune an empowering one, allowing a full force to be thrown onto the EP to allow the essence of Park RD to be bought to life with delicacy. Coastline, as Tom described in our interview last year (here), is about “the initial stages of meeting someone where everything is intense, all the emotions and stuff and also knowing that it’s probably not going to last or work out, but you’re still really enjoying your time with that person and having that feeling of a crush - kind of… Crush feelings.” There you have it, folks. A great explanation of something we all have absolutely felt in our lives and continue to hold on hope that it will work out, even if realistically we know it won’t, I personally love how easy it is to relate to the song because of that.
Hurricane is the next tune and it is surely one of the most infectious songs on Stupid Stories. It turns it up a whole other notch and allows greater vocal powers, reaching the highest of peaks in terms of mixing and instrumentalism. As the lyrics suggest, “it’s crashing in my brain” and damn you’re right, Park RD, this song really is doing just that. You’ve got two options for enjoying this song: swaying along to it like a cool breeze or taking the time to do a bit of headbanging while dancing, there really is no in between with Hurricane. An adventurous track for all ages, making you feel young at heart, no matter how “old” you may be.
Control. I’ve had a deep love affair with this song since the Park RD lads released this back in April of 2021. Everything about it gels together so perfectly and I could never get sick of this stunning track. If you have yet to listen to Control, you will likely feel the same way when you do get around to hearing it. The lyrics again have this beautifully romanticised state to them, they just flow, exactly like watching a light up lantern being taken by the wind, how peaceful it goes. Control brings that feeling home for me. It holds elements of lightness and it also throws in a bit of ingenious wonder to it at the same time. A winning song.
Outta My Hands is bubbly, allowing those little swaying moments that listeners crave from new releases, it’s just a fun little element to have on Stupid Stories. The best part has to be either the powerful electric guitar or the fact that Leo is singing (I think!) on Outta My Hands, allowing the talents to be moved around throughout the band. It’s a real selling point when other members of a band are able to rotate, showing off their talents that maybe fans don’t get to see all too often. Enjoy this with a boogie to warm up on those cold winter nights NZ is currently experiencing.
I Got You review here.
Skin is the last song on the marvellous new release from Park RD and it does not disappoint. Skin will be one of those hot fan favourites and it is easy to see how it will get to that point. The song carries simplicity with it, however, it also turns heads and is uniquely crafted to ensure that the listener never stops paying attention. The track is a story that will be exceptionally hard for you to not sing along to. Seeing videos from the release show at the Tuning Fork from Saturday made me realise how special this song is for the men from Park RD. It has been bought to life at a super catchy, down-to-earth capacity, keeping that familiar touch of their previous tunes.
Overall, Stupid Stories has this excellent energy to it and while it is not quite a surf-music orientated as Park RD have released before, I feel that this will take them to new heights as it shows off how they have grown as a band the past while.
Stupid Stories is well worth listening to at the very least, 100 times in a row.
If you want to keep up with Park RD, make sure that you catch them on their socials and streaming platforms: