Afternoon In The Park’s new album Blood Cocktail is a bold, electric statement that hits hard and fast, yet lingers like the afterglow of neon city lights on rain-slicked streets. The Paris-based indie rock band—composed of Yamin Alma (vocals, electric guitar), Ari (electric guitar), Julien (drums, programming), and Thomas (bass)—has crafted a record that feels as cinematic as it is visceral. It’s romantic, moody, and soaked in distortion, with just the right balance of vintage grit and modern cool.
The title track, “Blood Cocktail,” encapsulates everything this album sets out to be: short, sharp, and saturated with atmosphere. Clocking in at just 2 minutes and 40 seconds, the song is a fuzzed-out fever dream about a love affair between a human and a vampire—more grindhouse than Twilight, and all the better for it. Urgency pulses through the track: wild drumming, overdriven guitars, and a chorus designed to explode on stage. It’s catchy and chaotic in the best way.
But Blood Cocktail isn’t just a single—it’s an entry point into a wider world. The full album, “Livin’ Around the Sun,”unfolds like a midnight road trip through a city that never quite sleeps. It’s a journey marked by emotion, reflection, and bursts of garage-rock fire.
A key piece of the album’s magic lies in its production. It was recorded at the analog-driven studio Stéréodrome in Le Soler, near lead singer Yamin Alma’s hometown of Perpignan. The project caught the attention of legendary producer Gordon Raphael (The Strokes, The Libertines, Regina Spektor), who was drawn to the band’s DIY ethic and authentic sound. His involvement brings clarity to the raw energy—giving the songs the edge they deserve without overpolishing their soul.
Everything you hear on the album was captured organically, using real instruments, vintage microphones, and effects done live. There’s no digital gloss to hide behind here. Every hit, strum, and lyric lands with intent.
.
What makes Blood Cocktail stand out isn’t just the songs—it’s the aesthetic universe the band builds around them. Visually inspired by 60s cinema, risograph prints, and analog craft, Afternoon In The Park have created a holistic experience that feels tactile and intentional. This isn’t a band chasing trends; it’s a band crafting its own mythology.
That mythology is rooted in real places and moments. The band’s name itself was born from afternoons Yamin spent writing music in London’s Hyde Park, just before the Brexit vote—a time and place that gave birth to their distinctly humanist, impressionistic approach to songwriting.
Afternoon In The Park is quickly carving out a place in the European indie-rock scene, backed by strong live performances and thoughtful production. They’ve opened for Nada Surf and played respected festivals like Les Déferlantes and Pellicu-Live. The emotional immediacy of their songs, combined with their magnetic stage presence, makes them a band to watch.
Blood Cocktail isn’t just an album—it’s a night out, a fast romance, a flickering memory. It fuses gritty garage rock with poetic introspection and places it all in a cinematic frame. Fans of The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, or Phoenix will feel right at home, but Afternoon In The Park’s sound stands on its own—familiar but undeniably fresh.
In an era often dominated by polish and perfection, this album is a welcome reminder of the raw power of real instruments, real stories, and real emotion. Blood Cocktail is alive. And it’s thirsty.
Connect with AFTERNOON IN THE PARK on
English