THE NATIONAL PARKS Announce New Studio Album ‘Wildflower’

Photo credit: McKenna Chatterley

Folk-influenced indie pop band The National Parks have announced the details for their new studio album, Wildflower, due out Friday, April 17th, and have released the lead single and title track off the album along with its official music video. Distorted electric guitar elevates the hypnotic hook on “Wildflower” as a steady arena-size beat reverberates underneath soaring vocals on the rock-influenced song. PRESS HERE to watch the old western-style video for “Wildflower,” directed by Jeremy Prusso and filmed near the band’s Southern Utah home, and check out the first story via RelixPRESS HERE to stream “Wildflower” on DSPs.

“We truly have never felt more excited to release anything as a band as we are with this song and the upcoming album,” shares lead vocalist/guitarist Brady Parks. “This song is about staying true to who you are and not letting negativity bring you down. In my mind, a wildflower is something so beautiful that grows and blooms in unexpected places and under the wide-open skies. It’s natural. It breaks free from any mold. That’s how we felt with this song and album – we see ourselves as wildflowers in this vast world of music. There can be a lot of negative forces that can bring you down, but you can take that and continue to grow and bloom and be authentically yourself through it all. That is what we did with Wildflower by staying as true and authentic to us as possible. The result is something we are so proud of and excited to share with the world. We hope people can be uplifted and inspired in some way as they listen to this song and the album as a whole and that they feel that even through trials and challenges that the best is yet to come. It’s an album about struggles and growth, hard times and faith, but with a message of encouragement that we can all get through anything and everything life throws at us.”

Since emerging in 2013, The National Parks have quietly grown into an independent phenomenon with roots embedded in blissful pop, cinematic electronics, organic orchestration, and rock energy. The Provo, UT male/female quartet – Brady Parks [guitar, vocals], Sydney Macfarlane [keys, vocals], Cam Brannelly [drums], and Megan Parks [violin] – bloom like never before on their aptly titled independent fourth full-length, Wildflower, the follow-up to their 2017 release Places. The forthcoming 15-track album, produced and mixed by longtime collaborator Scott Wiley, features their best songwriting to date and a variety of sounds and styles, as well as a lot of heart, creating a sound that fully encapsulates The National ParksPRESS HERE to pre-order Wildflower.

On “Time,” warm acoustic strumming wraps around a glitchy electronic beat as Brady and Sydney share verses before an emotional hook urges for patience and perseverance through struggle. The folk instrumentation of “Waiting For Lightning” gives way to a sunny chant about putting yourself out there and waiting for your chance. The expansive soundscape of “Painted Sky” evokes a Spaghetti Western-soundtrack and illuminates the sonic adventurism at the heart of the music. Wildflower also features the band’s previously released pop-infused single “I Can Feel It” [2019]. Full track listing below.

In celebration of the release of WildflowerThe National Parks will headline their very own curated festival experience called Superbloom Music FestivalThe first-ever event comes to life Saturday, April 25th at The OC Tanner Amphitheater at Zion National Park featuring performances from Joshua James, The Strike, Tow’rs, The Federal Empire, Ellee Duke and Brother. Tickets are on sale now; PRESS HERE for more info on Superbloom Music FestivalThe National Parks will also set out on a run of tour dates this spring and summer including a headlining date in New York City on May 23rd; see below for upcoming dates with more to be announced soon.

The National Parks create atmospheric and “anthemic indie-folk as boundless as their name would suggest” (Paste) centered around male/female harmonies backdropped by guitar/piano/violin instrumentation. Since their introductory album Young [2013], the band has racked up over 90 million total streams, sold out headlining shows, toured with Andy Grammar, Peter Bjorn and John and WILD, and performed at KAABOO Del MarSXSW and CMJ, while garnering praise and support from the likes of NPR, Paste, PopMatters, Relix, Atwood Magazine, Glide Magazine and Substream Magazine and comparisons to The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, The Head and The Heart.

Follow The National Parks:

THE NATIONAL PARKS – TOUR DATES
Thursday, April 9 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
Saturday, April 11 Washington, DC @ National Cherry Blossom Festival – Petalpalooza
Saturday, April 25 Springdale, UT @ Superbloom Festival at OC Tanner Amphitheater
Tuesday, April 28 Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
Wednesday, April 29 Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole
Thursday, April 30 San Diego, CA @ Voodoo Room at House of Blues
Saturday, May 2 Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
Saturday, May 23 New York, NY @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
Friday, July 31 Anchorage, AK @ Salmonfest
Friday, August 21 Almo, ID @ Idaho Mountain Festival
Saturday, September 12 Chattanooga, TN @ Moon River Music Festival
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