RM chats with Radiator Hospital ahead of his Kings’ performance. 

Yearning is in. Persistently longing is one of the internet’s favorite pastimes at the moment, and indie-rock artist Sam Cook-Parrott of Radiator Hospital makes music for people who yearn—and like to do so. 

But unlike popular yearn-y modern-day media (read: Normal People and Heated Rivalry), Cook-Parrott’s trademark confessional ballads navigate heartbreak, acceptance and nostalgia, and assign you as the main character. For just a couple minutes, you are the Marianne Sheridan or Shane Hollander of the plot.

While Cook-Parrott’s music is thought-provoking and sincere, it escapes a slow pace with catchy melodies and vocals that make you want to move—and he’ll dance alongside you. Cook-Parrott is bringing his new album, Distorting Time, alongside the rest of his 10+ years of songs to Kings Nov. 12, and Raleigh Mag tapped his brain for insight into songwriting and touring.

Do you still enjoy playing your older songs live? 
It’s been really fun to do this tour because I get to do all my old songs in a whole different way. That makes it new and fresh for me. The meaning of them doesn’t necessarily change either—it’s in the mind of the listener at the end of the day. Whether I’m singing it right in front of you or you’re listening to a recording of me singing it back in the day, I can only put so much of myself into it and you’re going to take that meaning from it.

Do you consider Radiator Hospital a solo project? 
It’s a solo project. I did it with a band for a long time, but I started it as a solo project, and I am continuing it as a solo project. 

Will you have a touring band? 
I’m not going to. For this tour, I actually made the whole record with this style in mind. I have a four-track cassette machine, which has a whole backing track, like drums, bass, guitar and keyboard, and I sing. The music plays and I’m just singing—kind of like Justin Bieber. The live element is my singing—and dancing too, a little bit. I can really kind of just embody my songs in a different way than I would if I was focusing on playing guitar. 

Your vocals have always been pretty emo-esque. 
I really just opened my mouth one day, and that’s what came out. I used to do it a little differently, but I always write for my vocals at this point. I know where they’re going to sound good. 

Unpack your songwriting and release process for us. 
For Distorting Time, I intentionally was like, ‘I’m gonna make a record that I want to come out this year so I can go on tour.’ It always unfolds pretty naturally, but sometimes I decide to make just enough songs that fit together, and other times, I feel like making a full-length record. I didn’t really have any material prepped [for Distorting Time]. I wrote it specifically with this short time frame in mind.

What’s the story behind the name? 
I grew up in a town called Grand Rapids, MI, and there was a garage called the Radiator Hospital there. It’s a place to fix your radiator for your car, but the sign looked really cool and I decided to name my band that.