The National Parks

Provo is clearly having its musical heyday, and The National Parks are no exception. The band’s second album, Until I Live, is fun, hopeful and inspiring to epic extents. I actually feel like I’m driving through the mountains as I listen to it, which makes sense, since the band members are originally from both Colorado and Utah. The folk genre is often sad and lonely in its song repertoire, but The National Parks seem more focused on the upswing, suggesting answers instead of regurgitating problems. The vocalists complement each other incredibly well, and each song seems to build into a massive orgasm of awesomeness. I felt like I had accomplished something after listening to this album, and in the spirit of burden dispersement, I probably had. Over half this album is on consistent rotation during my morning run, and that’s about the highest praise I can offer anyone. This is a wonderful local band who won’t be “local” for too long. I suggest catching them before you’re shelling out 30 bucks to hear them from basketball seats. - SLUG Magazine

As the lyric video for album cut “Monsters of the North” reveals... this seven-piece outfit has already readied itself for the summer months. With elegant typeface laid atop a string of beautifully photographed nature imagery, “Monsters of the North”‘s lyric video feels like a whole summer rolled up into three minutes and 52 seconds. Combine that with a chorus that’s perfect for road-trip singalongs and you’ve got a fine aural/video pairing. - Pop Matters

There's a tension in that opening guitar line that adds a bit of mystery to the video, in which a father (played by Finnish actor Antti Luusuaniemi) walks into a still-dark bedroom to wake up his young son. But after that ominous start this video fills with sweetness and wonder. - NPR - All Songs Considered

The obvious comparison to make with The National Parks is to Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zero or Mumford & Sons, but that misses on how much more modern the National Parks feel to those more old-fashioned roots act. The National Parks has a bigger, poppier sound with just enough of a hint of sparse electronic influences to set them apart from the roots crowd. Check out "Ba Ba Ra," and leave your Beach Boys first reactions at the door. - Baeble Music

CMT Edge: The lyric “Do you ever think about the stars? / To see them clear, you have to step into the dark” is one that a lot of people could take to heart. What does that lyric mean to you?

Brady: I think that is the lyric that encompasses the meaning of this song and the overarching theme of the entire album. Sometimes the unknown is terrifying but beautiful and exciting. When you’re standing on the edge of something big you just need to take that leap of faith. - CMT Edge

Today we premiere the new official video from Utah-based trio,The National Parks. Their new song "As We Ran" was commissioned by The National Park Experience for the film Love in The Tetons. The single is the follow-up to their debut album Young which reached #13 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart. The band tells Relix, "'As We Ran' is one of our favorite songs to play live! It has an immediate energy and the crowd reacts to that from the very first downbeat. It's big, it's fun, there's just a really positive emotion to it that fans connect with. And we wanted to capture that in the video so live show footage, together with shots from tour stops around the country, seemed like the perfect fit!" - Relix

The National Parks = (The Avett Brothers + Grizzly Bear) x Alison Krauss

I listen to an album like this and think, “How in the hell is this band not on every single person’s iPod on the planet?” This three-piece Provo band has it all in Young. It’s heartbreaking, reaffirming, energetic and fun—all while being thoughtful. On every track, I caught myself shaking my head at how fortunate we are, on the Wasatch Front, to have such incredible music being made in our communities. “Ghosts” is the knockout here, a classic folk track with Brady Parks and Sydney Carling harmonizing over a simple banjo strum. There’s a moment, however, where Carling vocally goes off on her own, angelically proclaiming, “If you’re looking for light, just keep running to me/cuz you just might find it, where the river meets the sea.” I’m not 100-percent sure what she means, so I imagine she’s talking about this album. Because it’s damn good. –Blake Leszczynski - SLUG Magazine

Dominating the stage with seven members, The National Parks are refreshingly mellow, yet they’re also capable of carrying a fun, dancey vibe. Branded as electronic folk pop, they actually remind me of The Civil Wars–a quiet musical storm. The Utah-based group landed in NYC earlier this summer, and I wasn’t sure what to expect, but they certainly turned the Rockwood Music Hall into a party. The room was overflowing with enthusiastic (somewhat tipsy) people, who swayed and cheered during the show. In fact, the crowd cheerfully demanded an encore and they got one. The most striking part of their performance was probably the violin, which fits effortlessly into their band arrangement and sneaks up on you, much like their music does altogether. - PopWrapped