PROVO — Provo band The National Parks is looking to change its rootsy folk sound to a more indie pop one on its new album, "Until I Live," set to release on Aug. 4.

Brady Parks, the lead-singer and guitarist in the band, began writing songs for the album as he was facing a transitional period in his music. He wanted the band to have a larger sound, and this change brought on feelings of apprehension and wonder.

"I was just kind of inspired by being on a brink of not knowing what's going to happen and taking a step into the dark and just kind of going for it and jumping in with both feet," Parks said. "That's thematically where the album came from."

All songs on the album stemmed from this theme, and each song makes up a small piece that fits into the overall concept of the album.

"I wanted it to be a consistent feel throughout," Parks said. "Each song was written to feel a certain way around a different song, or to fit into the puzzle of the album."

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Folk bands who have broken into the mainstream recently have a few things in common, such as beautiful harmonies, catchy sing-along choruses and heartfelt lyrics. Provo band The National Parks has all these things.

The band is made up of seven members, who all bring something unique to the album. Parks will typically bring an idea or the beginnings of a song to the group, and from there, they will build on to it and create a complete song.

But at times, Parks will bring an idea to the band, and it will become something completely different than he had initially planned.

"There's one song called 'Meridians' on the album which I originally wrote on piano, but at the studio I kind of thought, 'Let's go a different direction with this,' and it became our most experimental song on the album," Parks said.

The album was recorded at June Audio Recording Studios and was produced by Scott Wiley, who has produced the previous National Parks album as well as Parks' other works.

Justin Hackworth Photography

Because of this history of working together, and the relationship they share with each other, Parks spoke about how Wiley was the perfect person to help them discover the new sound for the band.

"Working with Scott was perfect for that because he knew what we wanted and knew exactly where to take it," Parks said. "He's just got so many great ideas, and such a great ear for all of it."

The National Parks will begin promoting its new album with an eastern tour which will take them from Kansas to Pennsylvania with many places in between. Since releasing its tour dates, the band has already gotten a response from fans around the country who are excited to see them in their hometown.

"That makes us really optimistic that our music is out there beyond where we thought it was," Parks said. "And we are excited for the fact that we can play for strangers at the same time."

You can check the band's tour dates on http://thenationalparksmusic.com/tour/. "Until I Live" will be released on Aug. 4, but you can pre-order it on iTunes now and receive two songs immediately. For more information, go to http://thenationalparksmusic.com/

Brock Allen is a Montanan and a communications student at Brigham Young University-Idaho. Formerly a KSL.com intern, he regularly contributes as a music writer. Contact him at olaf.sant6@gmail.com.

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