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Jul 12, 2023 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Lara Callahan

Five-piece rock outfit Vakili Band debuted back in 2018 with their full-length record, Oh Alright, followed by their 2021 sophomore album Walking Sideways. With those records the band cemented an electric blend of rock, soul, and psychedelia, led by their frontwoman Lily Vakili. Later this year, the band are back with another new album, Honey, out on September 8th. They’ve already teased the record with its title track, and today they’re back with another new single, “To The Park,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“To The Park” initially begins in an intimate mode, finding Vakili backed only by some solitary guitar and mournful orchestral touches. In contrast, as the drums enter the band picks up the energy and transitions into a steady groove. The rhythm section plays in lockstep as lead guitarist Ben St. Jack fills the track with smoky color and Vakili delivers a magnetic vocal performance. While the track as a whole is an excellent showcase for the band’s chemistry, the standout moment comes as they truly let loose in its second half, building into a soaring climactic finale with a freewheeling extended guitar solo.

As the band explains, the song’s progression is meant to mirror the dark days of loneliness and the joyous daybreak that comes with love and connection. “I wrote ‘To The Park’ to fight off the claustrophobia of the pandemic,” Vakili says. “Back then, the smallest gestures of friendship - just hanging out together - were out of reach. Walking one morning into an abandoned park, I was overcome with sadness and the only thing I wanted was the company of friends. The first half of the song is all about that long loneliness. The second half of the song breaks free, and sets stakes to freedom and love, in the car, in the park – let’s go!”

Check out the song below, out everywhere now. Honey is out on September 8th.