Ball Park Music are fired up with new single Spark Up, announce new album

There are many reasons to avoid putting out music at the moment - we are, after all, in the middle of a global pandemic, and the music industry as a whole is facing an internationally-spanning economic crisis - but honestly, thank god people are still going ahead with it. There's going to be some incredible music written over the next few months, and a lot of music that may take entirely different meanings considering the circumstances of which they're released - like the Overcoats record just yesterday.

Ball Park Music's latest single Spark Up! is one that definitely falls into the latter category. The much-adored Australian group have been teasing the single for a moment now - their first work since 2018's GOOD MOOD is worthy of celebration - and it's great to see they haven't backed down from releasing it despite everything going on at the moment, because Spark Up! is exactly the type of track we need in the world right now.

On one side, the track is a strong-hearted and powerful return from Ball Park Music that takes the things everyone has come to love from the band and puts it back in centre spotlight for the first time in two years; their joyful melodies, anthemic choruses and quick-pacing rhythms all among them. Ball Park Music's work constantly comes across as euphoric - even when they're writing about low-lights and heaviness - and at a time like the current, this sense of euphoria is able to take you away and distance yourself from everything occurring, even if it's just for a quick four-minutes-twenty.

On the other side (and looking at the track a touch deeper), Spark Up! is a call-to-arms that arrives with perfect timing; a spark has lit underneath the asses of Ball Park Music, and they're not afraid to let it be known to the world. It's triumphant and impactful, capturing the building anxiousness of a changing world and the forces that are swirling underneath, whether it be those that are actively putting in the work to build a brighter future, or those that - fairly - are just dreaming of another future; dreaming from an escape.

A letter that arrives alongside the track from the band's Sam Cromack sums it up perfectly:

“I saw a show one night in Brisbane with my friend. Really wild gig, the crowd were turning into animals (in a nice way). I left feeling energised and began to sing the chorus to myself as I walked through the night air. Didn’t think much of it. It just felt like one of the many dumb things I sing to myself as I’m passing time or thinking. And it stayed this way for months.

I struggled to complete the story for a long time. One day, in a particularly foul mood, I finally looked the meaning of the song square in the eye and finished it off. I guess it’s kind of a protest song. It’s a song for those who are writhing in their skin. It’s a song for those who are dreaming of some other place. I don’t want to ruin the fun with an unnecessarily detailed explanation. I think the song speaks for itself.

We recorded this song on 18th October 2019. It was the first recording session for our new album, Mostly Sunny.”

Dive into the track below, and stay tuned for the release of their forthcoming record Mostly Sunny at some point this year.

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