It’s every music fan’s worst nightmare: a screenshot of a notes app message posted on social media.
On Wednesday morning, Utah-based indie-folk band The National Parks, which sports a robust local and national following, announced a major shakeup.
Brady Parks, Sydney Macfarlane, Cam Brannelly and Megan Taylor Parks made up the band that started in Provo in 2013.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The National Parks in 2020, clockwise from top left: drummer Cam Brannelly; singer and guitarist Brady Parks; violinist Megan Parks; and singer and keyboardist Sydney Macfarlane. The band announced a split in its membership Wednesday.
In the statement shared to its Instagram account, the band said: “This isn’t easy to say, but the four of us — Meg, Brady, Syd and Cam — won’t be continuing as a band together.”
The statement goes on to state that Macfarlane and Brannelly will no longer be a part of the group, and that it will continue as a duo with Brady and Taylor Parks, who are married.
No reason was provided for the split and the band’s management did not immediately respond to request for comment.
In the Instagram comments, fans expressed disappointment and sadness, and some even questioned the origins of the split.
“Syd and Cam were kicked out of the band so Brady and Meg can be a power duo,” one fan speculated.
Macfarlane posted about the change on her personal account, characterizing the past few months in the band as “emotional and unexpected.”
Brannelly also made a post and wrote in the caption, “While unexpected, this feels like the right direction.”
During its time together, the quartet released seven albums — the latest in 2024. The group’s alternative sound has been characterized by the members’ love of Utah and its great outdoors.
The band has an opening set scheduled for Ben Rector’s show at the Delta Center on Nov. 15. On Instagram, the group said it will still be playing, but with a “new setup.”