Karin Park drops new EP ‘EVO’ with hard hitting video for ‘Explodera’
Karin Park - Evo (Photo: Thomas Knights | Design: Leif Podhajsky)
(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Size Records press release) Swedish electronic artist Karin Park shares her new EP ‘EVO’, set for release on May 8 via Size Records. The project marks the first instalment in a trilogy of interconnected releases titled ‘EVO-LUT-ION-(EN)’. Alongside the announcement, Park also unveils the video for ‘Explodera’.
Following the singles ‘Sing Your Sorrow’ and ‘Shadow’, Park now reveals the full four-track EP. Inspired by the work of Hilma af Klint, ‘EVO’ signals a new creative chapter exploring transformation, freedom and artistic growth.
Written and recorded with French producer Anthony Belguise, the EP emerged through a fluid and deeply collaborative process. “It was like a love story,” Park says. “Sometimes a song would change almost completely from one day to the next. We had a flow through the whole process that I have never experienced before.”
Across its four tracks, ‘EVO’ moves between vulnerability and release. Opening track ‘Try’ captures the tension between self-destruction and devotion, centred around the idea of being a “good fuckup” while still trying to hold things together for love. ‘Shadow’, co-written with Joe Goddard, strips things back into a more intimate space, exploring loneliness in a way that feels quiet yet deeply present. Closing track ‘Sing Your Sorrow’, written for Park’s daughter, forms the emotional core of the EP and reflects a desire to carry someone else’s pain in order to ease their suffering.
Meanwhile, ‘Explodera’ arrives with an official video directed by Pål Laukli. Laukli says: “Bringing super heavyweight boxer Brage Lange and Karin Park together in Slakteriet Studio was a lot of fun. We didn’t plan much beyond feeding off the energy in the room, and I really like the outcome.”
The track channels frustration and the feeling of being held back by the very things you care about, while pushing toward escape and freedom. Park adds: “I didn’t fully understand what ‘Explodera’ was about until I rewatched Raging Bull. The anger and frustration in the song suddenly felt very clear, and I saw myself in the main character. I thought I was writing a love song, but my real feelings came through. That’s why the video needed to feel brutal and masculine. Pål brought me to a boxing gym in Oslo where we met Brage Lange, and that experience shaped the whole video. We later shot everything in Pål’s studio, improvising freely thanks to our long creative relationship.”
Karin Park interview
We also had a quick round of questions for Karin by mail this week.
Side-Line: Tell us about the new EP, the first in a trilogy?!
Karin Park: The first EP EVO is the first in a trilogy called EVO-LUT-ION-(EN). It was inspired by a painting by Hilma Af Klint.
I wanted to find a frame around the project so that I could be free in my creations but not lost. It was one of her paintings in the EVOLUTIONEN series that kicked the whole thing off and it even looks like a record. I can really relate to her personality too. She was an occultist in a Christian environment like me. Stubborn and obsessed with working on her mission but also fragile and doubtful. Full of questions. Always. The lyrics on the EP is all personal, about the struggle and frustration of being both a mother and an artist and trying to be a safe spot for someone else when you are really a bit all over the place yourself. But also the deep love I feel for my family.
Karin - Park - Djura Missionshus studios
I made this in collaboration with Anthony Belguise who shares the love for analogue synths and beats with me. It was the best experience I’ve ever had in a studio. And we both share the attention to detail, so we really went deep with this one. We’ve used Moog, Prophet, modular synths, Lyra 8, Korg MS 20 but also pump organ and a lot of vocal samples from me and my children.
S-L: You’re just back from LA – more songs were made there?
KP: I made some new songs there, yes. They are all in bits and pieces, but it’s starting to crystalize. I will flesh them out in my studio this summer.
I know a lot of people in L.A. who has also worked in my studio in Djura. So, it was about time to head over. Also, one of my best friends and long time collaborator on photography Thomas Knights lives there, so it was nice to catch up and get a bit of spring. I even went surfing one day. Not very goth. But mostly I worked in the studio.
S-L: What’s ahead?
KP: I’m doing a show in Stockholm tomorrow, and I’ll be going to Great Escape in the UK to play next week. Then Falun and Berlin. There will be a bit of travelling going forward. I’ll also do a show in Oslo in August.
Playing live is really my favourite thing to do so I can’t wait! We are also finishing a new Årabrot album which sounds pretty cool now, so lots of things to look forward to.
Also available on lot’s of other streaming services!
About Karin Park
Karin Maria Erika Park was born in Djura, Sweden, and began her recording career in Bergen, Norway. She debuted with “Superworldunknown” in 2003, followed by “Change Your Mind” in 2006 and “Ashes To Gold” in 2009. Her career then continued with “Highwire Poetry” in 2012 and “Apocalypse Pop” in 2015, marking the shift into the synth-driven and darker electronic work.
Later releases included the “Blue Roses” EP in 2018, “Church Of Imagination” in 2020, the collaborative album “Alter” with Lustmord in 2021, and “Private Collection” in 2022.
Outside her solo material, she co-wrote Margaret Berger’s Eurovision entry “I Feed You My Love” and has also been active with Årabrot, which she fronts alongside her husband.
Originally emerging as a guitar-led singer-songwriter, and as one half of the noise rock duo Årabrot, Park has evolved her sound into a rich blend of analogue textures and electronic influences spanning house, techno, synthwave and UK garage. While her production has expanded, her voice remains central to her identity.
Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉
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