PARK RD Release Second Studio Album ‘Boyhood’
Alt-pop favourites PARK RD have today released their highly anticipated second studio album, Boyhood.
Boyhood is a collection of 11 songs capturing the coming-of-age years Tom, Leo, TK and Carlos are currently navigating in their own lives. Led by the singles English Boy and Fatal (with Molly Millington, the album began taking shape in New Zealand before a second wave of writing and inspiration followed the band’s relocation to Australia. Across the record, PARK RD lean into a lighter indie-pop sound, drawing inspiration from the likes of Fontaines D.C., The 1975 and Ryan Beatty.
“This album has been written over a period of time, as we’ve been growing up and experiencing the world around us. It feels like an accumulation of our lives as friends and the relationships happening in the close circles around us. We have romance in there, we have songs about music, stories of good times as well as the bad times. It’s a snapshot of all the highs and lows of growing up, and we are so excited to share what Boyhood means to us with everyone”. – PARK RD
PARK RD continue to establish themselves across the Australian and New Zealand live scenes. Over the past few years, they have supported the likes of Pacific Avenue, The Rions, The Band Camino, Milky Chance, Spacey Jane, Eliza & The Delusionals, San Cisco and more. After a series of well-received EPs, their debut album, The Novel, was released in mid-2024, which saw them begin a constant run of touring and festival performances across both countries.
Immediately following their debut album’s release, PARK RD continued writing and recording new material, and crafting the bones of Boyhood. The following months saw dozens of tracks written and recorded, with the first single English Boy showing a new direction – more guitars front and centre, less polish, and the urgent and unmistakable sound of a band playing live in a room together.
For over a year after that track’s release, the band continued to write and record, with sessions with producer Jol Mulholland (Neil and Liam Finn, Connan Mockasin) laying the foundations for Boyhood. Early 2026 saw the band relocate to Sydney, bringing with it all the fun that comes with a big move – new relationships, financial stresses, all things which are ripe for artistic inspiration.
After six months based in Sydney, PARK RD completed the album across new flats and studio spaces, combining songs from those initial sessions with Mulholland, alongside a number of tracks entirely birthed in their new home base. Striving for perfection, the band left a number of previously released singles off the album, a sign they’re embracing a new sound and letting these new experiences shape it.
With the band producing and mixing themselves across the album, Boyhoodtruly presents PARK RD moving into a new phase with greater confidence. The album begins with the dreamy and contemplative Butterflies, before moving straight into Mine, a track which combines upbeat guitars alongside melancholy-tinged vocals from Tom Chamberlain. Written during a day off on tour, the band wrote Fatal alongside Sydney-vocalist Molly Millington in one afternoon within hours of meeting. This instant chemistry is evident on the track, with Millington and Chamberlain’s vocals combining to create a sound both immediate and instinctive.
Boyhood captures moments of a band navigating life in their early 20’s, seen in songs like English Boy, Floodlights and Tomorrow Song, speaking to growing up, new relationships, and moving on from those no longer in your life. Red and This Town see guitarist Leo Crawshaw-Bond taking lead vocals, with Red serving as the emotional centre of the album – a beautiful track written about his childhood.
Good Time and Saturn were two of the final songs written for the album, with both being upbeat slices of indie rock capturing a band embracing the big change of moving to a new city. Again closes the album, a slightly left-field track co-written and produced with NZ electronic producer Messie. The track helps end the album on a high-energy note, further showing their increased confidence in their own production and songwriting skills.
Crafted over the course of two years, Boyhood shows PARK RD owning their sound of indie rock/pop, while starting to push it into strange and interesting territory. Retaining the melodic songwriting and live energy that have become central to PARK RD, the album sees them taking charge of their sound and cementing themselves as one of the most exciting bands across Australasia.
To celebrate the release of Boyhood, PARK RD are heading out on tour. After relocating to Sydney in early-2026, this tour will see PARK RD’s first performances back home in nearly 12 months.
Tickets for all shows are on sale HERE. Don’t miss this chance to catch them on tour, thanks to Loop, Select Music and NZ On Air Music.
PARK RD BOYHOOD NZ TOUR:
Thursday November 26 @ Wunderbar, Christchurch
Friday November 27 @ Saturday November 28 – Dunedin Beer Festival, Dunedin
Friday December 4 @ San Fran, Wellington
Saturday December 5 @ Double Whammy, Auckland
