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LA emo-punks Sad Park, comprised of guitarist and vocalist Graham Steele, bassist and backing vocalist Sam Morton, drummer Grant Bubar, and guitarist Aidan Memory, go on a full circle journey with the release of their third album and first for Pure Noise Records No More Sound. Produced by AJJ's Sean Bonnette, the thirteen-track body of work is a well-thought-out, nostalgic effort that pairs youthful, joyful instrumentation with lyrics full of hard truths, making the perfect record for any mid-20s something going through an existential crisis. 

 "With our previous records," says Steele, "I was listening to a lot of bands and then trying to write like them, like 'We really like FIDLAR and Together Pangea, so we're going to write music that really sounds like that.' This album feels a lot more like us as a band, like really sitting down and writing whatever was in us. It's the first album where we found what our sound is as individual musicians."

This record doesn't just sum up Sad Park's present, though. No longer a DIY band, though very much maintaining their DIY sensibilities, Sad Park have crafted an album that, while starting at its end, also flings the door wide open for their future. Each of them poured their heart and soul into these songs, and the results don't just speak for themselves but which defies and transcends their modesty. "This is the first time we had a budget," says Bubar, "and the first time we rented out a studio instead of sneaking into whatever one Sam was working at night to record stuff. Making this album has been wonderful."

 "It feels, for the first time, like I'm like playing in my favorite band," Steele says. "I get to play and sing in the band that's writing the music that I've always wanted to hear. So I hope there's somebody that really needs this album and they get to hear it." 

The Noise got to sit down with Steele to dive further into the process of making the record, discuss what it was like working with Bonnette, and the importance of loving what you do.

First of all, congrats on the release! How are you feeling knowing people are listening to No More Sound?

Sam Morton: Feeling great! It's great to see these songs be able to finally exist outside of our little bubble. After living with these songs for so long, there's definitely a new appreciation that comes with knowing people are hearing this album now for the first time. 

What does the album's title mean to you, and how does that meaning carry over into the record?

"No more sound" is a lyric from the closing track on the album, which as a song, is very thematically central to the album as a whole. The ideas of cherishing and appreciating moments with people close to you, and the fears of death and losing time to name a few. "NO MORE SOUND" embodies a lot of these themes that appear all over this record. 

I really loved your last record, It's All Over, and just how diverse it was from start to end. How do you feel the two records differ, or does this album feel more like a continuation of what y'all have been doing?

On this record, we really tried to stay out of each other's way as musicians. Consciously not making any parts too busy and really just trying to fit into the song where it felt best as a whole. Which I think really allowed ourselves to see the song more clearly and make better decisions based on what would best serve each song. Our producer Sean Bonnette from AJJ really helped a lot with this! 

What was the most challenging aspect of making the LP? Did you encounter any writer's block? Was there one song that was hard to nail down in production? How did you go about working through it?

We had all of these songs written before we went into the studio, but the entire album minus a few overdubs was recorded in a 10 day period at Balboa Recording Studio in Los Angeles in November 2022. This was a huuuge difference from recording "It's All Over" which was done very slowly, and spread out over about a year. So the time constraint definitely added a bit stress to the process, but also I think really helped make the album feel even more cohesive.

One song in particular that ended up being difficult to nail down in the studio was “THE NEW SLOW.” We originally had the song in a completely different song form, and ending very loudly and distorted. Sean and Danny Nogueiras who recorded, mixed, and co-produced the album, really helped shape this song into what it ended up being. I remember Sean saying something along the lines of "let the song speak for itself". So we ended up cutting the loud distorted ending, and completely re-working the form of the song. Once we got that down, the rest of the production like the lap steel and sparkly synths ended up coming very naturally over the new version of the song. Which is interesting since it definitely is unlike any other song that Sad Park has made!

What was it like working with AJJ's Sean Bonnette? How did that work relationship come into existence, and what makes for a great creative collaborator?

Sean is one of the most creative people we have ever met and truly was the missing piece in creating this record. He's an incredible musical mind and gave us such a refreshing perspective on all these songs we had been living with for so long. 

We knew going into this record that we wanted to try working with a producer but didn't know which direction to go in. We had been discussing a few options but nothing was feeling great… We've all been massive fans of AJJ forever, and one day during our tour with Together PANGEA, Graham brought up the idea of reaching out to Sean. We sent in the few demos we had, and at the time, it seemed like a total long shot. But less than an hour later we got an email from Sean's agent saying he was interested and wanted to talk! We all talked over Zoom and soon after made plans to make the record. 

We wanted somebody whose instincts we knew we could trust and who could act like a fifth member of the band. Sean ended up being exactly that and brought everything we needed into the creative process. We love him dearly. 

What is your favorite music moment on this record? That can mean anything it means it to you, like your favorite guitar part, breakdown, or your favorite lyric on the album.

A lot of our favorite moments on this record ended up being some of the different and new ideas we tried musically. A few being the ending solo of “CAROUSEL,” the ska breakdown of “ART WILL BE GONE,” or the lap steel on “THE NEW SLOW.” Lyrically “THE NEW SLOW” is definitely a favorite as well. 

What would be your favorite track on the record if you had to pick?

My top two were probably "NO MORE SONGS" and "ART WILL BE GONE!" The closing track “NO MORE SOUND” is definitely one of the favorites amongst the band. Sean sings on a lot of the song and it's become a very special track for us all. 

This record shows so much growth in the band, oozes with honesty, and you can feel the amount of care y'all put into it. Of course, music is subjective, and everyone will get something different out of it, but what is one thing you hope people take away from listening to this album?

I hope people take away some positivity in their lives from this record. Making honest music to who we are is something we absolutely strive for, and keeping a positive outlook on life and the situations it gives us is definitely a part of that. So I hope that feeling comes across in the music. 

Which song is your favorite to play live right now?

I personally love playing "WATCH THE WORLD FALL DOWN" live on this tour we're on right now! It's so bouncy and fun, and I think translates super well playing in front of a crowd. Close second would be "DEATH."

What would you like to experiment more with in the future?

I'm excited to keep experimenting with the different range in sonics and textures we use in our music. The songwriting is always the focus, but the sonics we use around it will always be something we keep pushing with every record. Some of the new things we tried on NO MORE SOUND ended up being some of my favorite moments! 

If you could give a piece of advice to your past self from the beginning of your journey as an artist, what would you say?

I would reinforce to my younger self to just be patient. The main thing is to just keep moving forward. Things happen slowly most of the time; the important thing is to love what you're doing and put in the work. Eventually, good things will happen if you just keep going with good intentions. 

Do you have a message for the fans that might be reading this article?

To all the fans, if you're reading this just know we love and appreciate you more than you know. We are literally nothing without you. And hopefully you like the new record! Just thanks for everything. We're doing lots of touring this summer and fall, hopefully you're able to make it out to a show! We'd love to see you.