The Americana voice captivating South Carolina in 2023 was decidedly She Returns From War.
Hunter Park is known for meshing pop sensibility into nostalgic folk tunes and turning heads with her captivating honky-tonk glam style. Her third album, “Ruthless,” hit platforms on Nov. 10, 2023. The album overflows with an indisputable “I’ve-found-myself” defiance that Park performs with her trademark luster.
Since releasing “Mirrored Moon Dance Hall” in 2018, Park said she has tried to focus on building a sense of self, which is evident throughout the 10 catchy, soulful tracks on "Ruthless."
Park described feeling a little out of touch with herself as she moved away from the “Mirrored Moon Dance Hall” era and realized that she wanted to channel a more stable sense of identity in her new music.
“I was a little bit lost,” Park said, “and I just wanted to have a super solid sense of self and sense of direction. So I wanted to write something to kind of reclaim that.”
Park’s dedication to her identity and the community she surrounds herself with have served to preserve her true self in every bar and line of "Ruthless."
“I wanted something to stake my claim, and say, ‘This is who I am, and who I identify as,’” Park said. “This is my body of work, that no one can kind of touch. It's the sacred thing within yourself — for me, that's country music."
As part of imbuing country music with her own essence, Park keeps the goal of familial inclusivity at the forefront of her vision.
“For trans or queer people, people of color, getting into this game is an uphill battle,” Park, who came out as transgender in high school, said. “And this was kind of my way of being like, you can try to shut us down that all you want, we're gonna come right back at you with the same amount of fervor and ruthlessness, if you will.”
The album itself was recorded primarily in Nashville, Tennessee, with support from Park’s community back in Charleston and a team of collaborators. Park has worked more frequently in Nashville since 2020 and sees the community there as a big influence in her recent successes.
She Returns from War's "Ruthless" was voted the second-place South Carolina album of the year. Lizzie Rollins/Provided
“I’ve been coming to Nashville since I was 15,” she said, “(I made) this record here in Nashville, so it's like this beautiful connection of talent from both places.”
Working with Wolfgang Zimmerman and a small team of other skilled producers helped “Ruthless” come to maturity. Park said her songwriting process has always been different and evolving, depending on the circumstances. Each song becomes its own narrative, from an idea to an entire procession of projects: writing, recording, making music videos. Park likes to see the process in her head from start to finish as a motivator for making every song a potential hit.
“I start every song like this pageantry of an idea," said Park. "Though there may never be a music video made ... I treat every song like it's going to be this big deal. I really do that, almost to a fault — a little bit of delusion.”
Of course, it is not entirely delusional to think that an artist who spent the earlier parts of 2023 playing festivals alongside top-billed artists like Band of Horses at High Water in Charleston and co-headlining Extra Chill Fest would end up with such a complete album by the end of the year, garnering recognition from Rolling Stone and Apple Music.
Park has truly established herself as a country artist who is willing to break a few rules to create music that balances originality with a historically informed reverence for the genre. Park finds joy in the process of creating a song and finding what’s catchy and what people can jam out to that still feels nostalgic and complete.
“My thought process doesn't have to be tied into a box or by the four-chord progression to still deserve a place at the table,” said Park. “So I try to explore these different avenues while still trying to make a song where people can get it stuck in their head a little bit. I'm a sucker for alliteration.”
She Returns From War will tour in early 2024 with Nashville artist Jamie Wyatt.
