“This is really unlike anything you’ve heard before”. These are the words of Warpark, a three-piece band from New York City commenting on their recently released debut album ‘All Things Must End’. A genre-blending seven-track record of absolutely epic proportions, I was hooked as soon as I first heard it!
I wanted to get to know Roger, Nick, and Simon a little better, and was thrilled when they agreed to chat with us! Taking us through the early days of how they all met, what their creative processes look like, and their general love for the New York music scene, please give a big welcome to our new friends Warpark!
Welcome aboard Warpark! I can’t wait to introduce you to our ever-expanding audience! How did the three of you meet and was it love at first jam?
Yo! Thank you, we’re humbled.
We first met in high school and before we were Warpark we were just teenagers sneaking into our high school music room during lunch periods to play Arctic Monkeys tunes. This was probably around 2009 or 2010. It was probably the highlight of our day at the time…kinda still is.
It’s been nearly six years since the release of your debut single ‘Early Onset Regret’, and I’m wondering if you could give our audience a brief overview of what has led you to where you are today musically.
6 years?? That’s news to us…sounds a lot longer than it feels!
We are where we are today by just rolling with what life has thrown at us and not quitting. Even through droughts or periods where we individually had lots going on, there was always a knowing that there was music to be made once we got back on the horse.
I’ve fallen in love with your brand new album ‘All Things Must End’! It’s genre-blending brilliance! Is there an overarching theme to the record or is each tune meant to stand on its own?
Thank you, it is a bit of a collage. By design, it is a compilation of our strongest tunes as a band in our first 5 years. There’s definitely a theme if you are willing to look closely enough…
With you all coming from such different musical backgrounds, I’m very interested to know who some of the band’s biggest influences are. Who would you credit for helping shape and mould your overall sound?
Yeah, individually we come from very different worlds with what we grew up listening to, but I (Roger) think I would credit the music scene in New York City the most. The bands we play with, or have seen, have all pushed us to consistently think outside the box. It’s a diverse environment in so many ways and I think our music showcases that the most. We’re always trying to do something different.
We’re always intrigued by the different approaches that bands and artists turn to in their creative process or processes. Can you tell our readers a bit about yours? How do you take an idea and turn it into a complete song?
We write in parts mostly. We’ll have a part to a song and combine it with other parts…like sewing up a quilt. That’s generally how things go, but some tunes have just been one part with different variations. ‘Early Onset Regret’ or ‘Guillotine’ are good examples of that…those tunes are all essentially one riff.
What would “being successful” in the music industry look like to you? And is it something that you think about when creating new music?
Being able to play in front of people. That’s it. That’s the most important thing. That’s one of the reasons why it took 6 years for a longer form release. Our main priority was going out to play shows.
I think when we’re creating new tunes we’re mostly trying to connect what sounds cool, but we definitely become conscious of the performance when we’re practising or ironing it all out. We kind of become our own audience when we’re rehearsing.
Which of your lyrics would you like to see printed on a T-shirt?
“Wait your turn, your time will come.”
Thanks again for chatting with us guys! It’s been great getting to know you a bit better. What comes next for Warpark?
Playing shows. We have another batch of demos cooking, but we are eager to play. We’ll never take that for granted.
