In Conversation with Parkway

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by Rebecca Tregasksis

On collaborating as a band, releasing their debut single and being in the Liverpool music scene 

Photo by: Max Jones

A new band has entered the music scene. Releasing their debut single Played Your Part just four months after forming, Parkway are striving for a place within the British indie scene. Created in the winter of 2025, the Liverpool based band consists of frontman Alex, lead guitarist Lewis, bassist/backing vocalist Emily and drummer Toby.  

I sat down with Alex and Emily to talk about the release. Each of them have had previous experiences being in bands but it seems Parkway is the fit for them ‘I was in a band before, and I really liked it. Being in Parkway it’s made me think music is really what I want to do’ Emily notes. ‘Anyway you could imagine music is the way I would enjoy it. I’ve been in a few bands but it never dawned on me to be a frontman and then one Friday I was like ‘I’ll try sing’ and I realised it’s fun being the centre of attention’ Alex later joked. 

Being in Parkway has introduced them to a whole new side of music, discussing being in a professional studio Alex recalls how ‘it was wild. Nothing can prepare you for going into a place like that for the first time.’ It also seemed to have produced a standout moment for the band with Alex adding ‘to know the day was about us was kind of special’. The band also worked with aproducer for the first time, a refreshing feel to their creative process. ‘It's nice not having to come up with all the answers for once. The way you hear the song now is completely different from how it was written’ Alex appreciated. ‘It was like a new point of view on the song’ Emily added. 

All these new experiences have resulted in their first release and set a standard. Discussing how the single has introduced them as a band Emily told me that ‘it's the type of music we’re making, and this is the quality we’re going to be making’. ‘It’s a good benchmark’ Alex agreed. Played Your Part has set the tone for Parkway and this foundation is just the beginning. 

Photo by: Rayleigh Selasi and  Lacey Skinley

Echo Magazine: Alex, you co-created Parkway with lead guitarist Lewis, what was your vision for the band? 

Alex: The vision for the band was trying to be part of the wider indie scene. Kind of make an anthemic sound, something that people can sing back to us. Also, from our wider vision of listening to bands like The Royston Club, Overpass and The Guest List and taking from that vibe…they way that they handle themselves, I’ve always looked at that and thought that’s how I’d wanna do it if I ever did. 

Emily, how did you find Parkway and why did you think it was a good fit for you? 

Emily: It was about November; they were looking for a bassist and I thought I could try that. Honestly, I think it was just a great fit. When I first joined, I was actually new to bass so the first bassline I made was for our first single. It taught me to enjoy it and practice it more. It’s just fun altogether.

Played Your Part is your first released project, tell me a little bit about the process and what it was like collaborating as a band for the first time? 

Alex: It was different, I liked it. It just gelled together really well. The song itself I had written quite a while beforehand, so the foundation was already there. But when I brought it to Lewis it just clicked between the two of us. When we brought it to Toby and Emily it didn’t take much time to fall into place. It’s one of the really rewarding things when you bring a song to a band, and it goes well. When we took it to the studio everyone was on it. We got it done in a day. That was the best part of the process, personally – getting the chance to record it. The whole process has been seamless, and I just want to do it again.

How was the response to Played Your Part? 

Emily: Due to how good the song was I was expecting a good response. We did get a lot of people message us and even some producers, that was more than I would have expected in the first release. I think we got more than I would have expected for a first song.

Alex: Especially considering we haven’t played a show before.

What is your favourite thing about being in the Liverpool music scene? 

Alex: Plenty of good company. In terms of creators, producers, other bands – phenomenon bands. I feel like everybody misses out Liverpool. They always go to Manchester but there’s so much good company here. There’s been so many different people who’ve messaged us to say ‘good job’ ‘would you be looking to work with us.’ There are so many professionals out there, it’s kind of fun to know we’re not alone and there’s plenty for us to do. 

Has there been a moment that’s made you feel like ‘this is a band’?

Alex: When I got in the vocal both I was like fuck this is real.

Emily: Probably when the song was fully mixed, and we were listening to it and we were like ‘yeah this actually sounds pretty sick’.

What’s coming up next for you guys? 

Alex: There’s a lot in the works. We’ve prided ourselves in always being steps ahead of where we needed to be. We’ve got quite a few demo’s done. There will be music coming out over summer and also we’re gonna start going into the city and playing then as well. We are going to build that in-person connection and find our people in the city. 

Emily: We have been working hard and getting one song after another done. We’ve just got a few done now actually

Alex: Plenty of music to come. 

You can listen to Played Your Part on Spotify now

Find Parkway here