Park National

Park National is finding himself. On his homemade new LP, You Have To Keep Searching, songwriter-instrumentalist Liam Fagan pushes the boundaries of his creative identity, forming a body of work that’s sonically ambitious and unprecedentedly authentic. While paying homage to the indulgently guitar-heavy style that characterized his early releases, Fagan demonstrates a whole new palette of musical influence– whether it’s the sludgy shoegaze of “Fallback”, the hushed lo-fi tickle of “In My Blood”, or the yearning indie folk of “One Foot”, it’s abundantly clear that he’s unafraid to reveal every facet of his art, no matter what shape in which it may come. Songs like “Let ‘Em Live”, which features longtime collaborator and breakout LA folk-rocker Truman Sinclair, venture into banjo-laden alt-country while heavy hitters like “Edgerly” play on a classic midwest emo sound, complete with twinkly guitar riffs and shouty gang vocals. Despite the album’s many twists and turns of mood, the bold collection of songs is tied together by recurring themes of isolation, self-doubt, and addiction through his most vulnerable songwriting to date– permeated all the while by a hopeful, glimmering undertone.

You Have To Keep Searching is out now via Brain Synthesizer.