Hailing from the bush and black sand beaches of west Tāmaki Makaurau, Double Parked is a community – as the band like to describe it. The indie rock five-piece bring lost-in-the-groove post-surf tunes, alongside emotive alt-rock ballads about the troubles of life. ‘I’m finding it hard/ just waiting for my efforts/ to be reflected’ they sing on recent single Necklace, which was included on NZ On Air Music’s November NewTracks compilation.

Who are Double Parked? Where are you all from and who plays what instruments?

Double Parked consists of Chad Mascelle on drums; Travis Hassell playing bass; vocalist Tom Purdie; Carlin Diprose on guitar and bvs, and Ben Woolford also guitar and bvs.
We are all proudly from the bush and beach of west Auckland, with the boys mainly growing up in the Titirangi area and moving to various coastal abodes. Between us we have lived/are living in Muriwai, Piha, Karekare and Huia. 

Any other projects that NZM readers might know any of you from?

Double Parked was the first real project we have been a part of. Some of us played in local bands around Titirangi throughout our grommy days, but never anything that was too serious. Carlin was a part of a metal band called The Witness as a bassist for a couple of years and Ben fronted a Titirangi-based band called Miss Used in his early days. Check them out, they have some wicked tunes. 

What’s the background to how Double Parked came to be? 

Trav: Double Parked in its initial form was never meant to be anything more than a couple of boys making some noise and playing a couple of house parties. It all started when Chad, our drummer, was keen to have a band play at his 21st. From there we played a couple more house parties before our first headline gig at the Piha RSA back in 2021, which we sold out – and our fans/mates nearly drank the place dry!
It was at this point we started realising that we might be onto something. We were so lucky to have a big crew of mates who supported us. That is where the slogan ‘Double Parked is a community’ comes from. We would never have been able to make the jump from being a frothy westie band to now playing festivals and going on tours without our community. 
From there we managed to break into the scene when The Butlers were on the look out for an opening band for one of their tours back in November 2022. We played Whangarei and Raglan, which was our first time playing proper venues. I remember saying to Carlin that this was further than I ever thought we’d get, and that everything from there on out was a bonus. Little did I know that this was only very early days. We owe a lot to The Butlers’ boys for getting us on the tour in our early days, and since then we’ve been slowly playing more and more shows alongside artists I’d only ever dreamt of playing alongside. 

When did you come up with Double Parked as the name for the band? 

Chad: I started this band as a young West Aucklander in my very early 20s, so as you can imagine there was a huge amount of alcohol consumption. Some would even go as far as to say that we were menaces to society. And I would agree 100%! After many months of brainstorming mediocre band name ideas with the lads, I stumbled upon the name ‘Double Parked’ and it was as easy as that.
Ironically I stopped drinking for nearly two years, and now sport a tremendously mellow lifestyle with my partner and our one-year-old daughter. But the name stuck, and we’re not changing it anytime soon!

How has the musical output evolved from the band beginnings to now?

Trav: The way we come up with the seeds of ideas has remained relatively the same. We are what I’d call a jam band. It’ll start with someone playing something and from there we let the music take us where it leads. A lot of the time the idea that we start with will morph and change into a soundscape that is far from its origins. 

As we have matured as people and as a band the process of growing these ideas from these seeds into fully fleshed out songs has become a lot more efficient. The more comfortable with each other the more we can push ideas further and let them develop in new ways. Writing good quality music is what we strive for, and the more authentically we can express ourselves the truer the art becomes. 

Aside from this release, what’s been the big highlight to date?

Trav: Playing the sunset set on the Bon Appetit stage at Le Currents festival last year has got to be my highlight, and I’m sure the boys would agree. I’ve been a regular attendee to this festival since its inception, and being able to play it was something I’d never dreamt was possible.
In recent years we’ve started thinking about our live shows differently. We put a lot of effort into crafting the setlist and putting thought into other aspects of the show so it feels more like an experience for the crowd. I remember the first time we played with an LED screen at our ‘Return of the Froth’ show at Galatos. We had some custom visuals put together by our mate Ryan Gray-Mccoy. The crowd was so much more engaged with the show because of his amazing visuals that complimented the music and vibe. It inspired me to realise how much production and thinking of the show with more of a theatre lens can change and add to the audience’s experience.

How often do you get to perform? Which song is the live highlight?

When we play in Auckland we normally play in the venues along Karangahape Road. We owe a lot to the establishments along this stretch as they give us artists a safe space to perform our art. Our standard set will have fluctuations in energy but will generally end in a climax. At the moment we have been finishing with Horny for a Dawny, a punky song that is about getting up early and going for a surf (Dawny). This tune never fails to bring the energy up in a room and give everyone permission to let loose. 

What made Necklace stand out for you as a single choice?

We instantly knew it was going to be a single from its inception. It sat well as the first single of the project. It still had a catchy and fresh vibe but was out there enough that it felt like we were turning a corner in our artistic expression and starting down a new avenue. This song to us bridges the gap between our old sound and the new sound we are pushing into.

What is the story behind Necklace?

It’s about the non-linear process of battling mental health instability. This song follows the story of clawing your way back and acknowledging that you’re in this dark place, and getting nothing in return from the cyclical nature of life. Whenever we jam, whether deliberate or not, the energy that we are feeling at the time comes out in the music. While writing this song over the course of about six months there was a lot going on in all the boys’ lives. That feeling is expressed in not only the wondrous lyricism, but also in the sounds and feelings of the shimmering guitars and the thump, groove and rhythm of the bass and drums.

I know that for me I am incredibly grateful for being able to express my thoughts through music in a safe space with my four best mates. 

What’s your favourite moment, musical or lyrical, of the single?

For all the boys we love the bridge that leads into the outro. It’s the turning point of the song and transitions from feeling of being down and out to admitting that you are struggling. This is the first step in the process of healing, and we hope that people can take that away from this song.

Who did you write/record/produce the single with?

We wrote the song as a whole collective. The instrumental for the verse and chorus came about in a jam as it usually does. Shortly after Tommy P wrote the hook for the chorus and we knew we were onto something. We parked it there until chad worked his magic with lyrics and melody and developed the story further and from there it was just fleshing out the bridge and adding the finishing touches to let the become what it was destined to be.

When it came time to record we were lucky enough to do it mostly in house, with our guitarist Ben Woolford recording, producing and engineering the track.We recorded drums at Tom Broome‘s studio in New Lynn. The combination of his skill as an engineer and Chad’s playing resulted in the best drum sound we could have hoped for.
For the rest we went away to Ben‘s batch in Ruakaka for a couple weekends to record the project, setting up a makeshift control room and live room to record vocals and guitars. These weekends there was nothing on our minds apart from the songs and getting the best result we could with what we had. We were tracking from the moment we woke up, around 9, right through to the early hours of the morning. This took a toll on all of us and drove us crazy, but given the nature of the project I feel that the feeling of desperation and commitment added to the overall sound we managed to capture. 

What would you like listeners to take away from this song?

That the feeling of discomfort in life is a lot more normal than we like to admit.

Anyone else in your team? 

We keep most of it in house with a small team. We have the legend Tom Grut as our manager/ videographer/ photographer/ creative director who’s schemes and dreams push us to make the best art we can. We truly won the lotto having Tommy G on board. 
For this release, we also had the help of Ruby Brown as a graphic designer and creative director who helped us flesh our brand identity and convert the sonic qualities of our project into imagery. This was pivotal in making this release feel as authentic to us as it does.

You released an EP ‘Lost In The Groove’ in 2023. How did that go? 

The release of the ‘Lost In The Groove’ EP was a pivotal time. It gave us such an appreciation for anyone who had ever released music. There was so much to learn! We tackled all our own distribution, promotion, organising the tour and everything else that came with it. We learnt that there is such depth in what goes into a release and how it can be structured.
I feel that this process of growing and learning and releasing music made us realise that the art just captures a moment in time. As artists we can be hard on ourselves and our previous works, but to be able to look back at your old creations, cringe a little and think what you would have done differently shows that you’re growing artistically. 

Only a couple of singles so far in 2025 – what plans does the band have for ’26?

We have our first headline show of the summer, namely called The First Sip of Summer at the Tuning Fork on December 13th with the legends The Boondocks and Kliffs starting the night off. It’s been a minute since we’ve played a headline show so we have a wicked set and show planned. We are also looking forward to playing Rhythm & Vines on the 31st. I can’t say too much but for 2026 we have some big things coming…

Can you please name three other local tunes that would fit well on a playlist alongside your song.

Office Dog – Big Air
No Cigar – Maelstrom 
Marlin’s Dreaming – Outwards Crying

Have any previous single releases been included on NewTracks?

This is our first time 

How can we find you on social media? 

Instagram

Facebook

Who did you make the video with? 

Our main man Tom Grut worked his magic with this video. He succeeded in creating a visual space for the song that reflected the sonic qualities. We did this on a shoestring budget utilising green screens, favours and Tommy G’s insane video directing, editing and producing skills. It was most of our first times making a video like this and the whole experience was so new. We have some BTS on our instagram that shows what it was like.

Any last words?

Thanks heaps for choosing us for this NTNA interview! We appreciate NZM giving us a place to talk about and share our art.