If Small Reactions play what they deem to be situational pop songs, then consider “Park Place” to exist at an existential crossroads. In the distance, there is the path of their choosing, a gateway to an imagined future. Intersecting that, however, are an array of unexpected detours, each more nebulous and unknowable than the last. It’s a song that confronts issues of doubt and uncertainty, and how often the best-laid plans are disrupted by unforeseen circumstances. If progress is measured by a procession of carrot-dangling sticks, what do we do when those sticks slip from our view?

“‘Park Place’ is about the feeling of forever catching up,” says vocalist and guitarist Scotty Hoffman. “Having major life changes young kind of sets life on an immediate, alternative path. This wasn’t my initial plan, but there is now not another path. It blew a hole in my psyche having to drop out of school, move, and shift. The song picks up at the moment I’ve been able to return to my original goals. Because I was in a new place mentally and physically, though, I felt passed by. Are these goals attainable from this new place?”

Riding the rail between nervy tension and cathartic propulsion, “Park Place” searches for power in the journey and its ability to fuel our ambition. “Wait, don’t sulk / I’ve come a long way for this,” Hoffman sings at the onset, his determination bolstered by kinetic drums and forward-thrusting guitars. Like many of the group’s best moments, the track provides a sparkling rush, but beneath the gleaming exteriors and acute lines lies a framework of conflict and unease. What happens, after all, if we’re too worn to press forward? “Just give me some more time / Just a little bit more,” he begs on the towering chorus. It may seem like a reasonable request, but who knows what other diversions life holds in store.

Listen below.

“Park Place” is the second single from Small Reactions’ upcoming LP, New Age Soul, scheduled for release this summer via SofaBurn Records.

Small Reactions will perform on Fri., July 30 at the EARL alongside Surfer Blood and Worn-Tin. Doors open at 7:30 pm. Admission is $13 or $15 DOS. 21+ to enter.

More Info
Bandcamp: smallreactions.bandcamp.com
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