Biography
Radiator Hospital channels the intensely romantic and frequently abrasive punk-infused pop compositions of Michigan-based songwriter Sam Cook-Parrott. Drawing equal influence from the home-recording approach and acoustic-driven twee punk associated with the K Records collective as from denser strains of full-band power pop, the project’s debut cassette appeared in 2010, with Cook-Parrott handling every instrument. After relocating to Philadelphia, aligning with Salinas Records, and delivering the band’s first proper album, Something Wild, in 2013, he had enlisted local scene collaborators for recording and assembled a working group. Radiator Hospital persisted in alternating between spare guitar pieces and more robust ensemble arrangements across subsequent releases of jagged yet tuneful material, including the 2023 set Can't Make Any Promises.
Cook-Parrott launched the project soon after finishing high school in Grand Rapids, with the initial cassette surfacing in January 2010. A succession of cassettes, 7-inch singles, and area performances followed, sometimes featuring Cook-Parrott alone on ukulele or acoustic guitar and at other times supported by a conventional loud rock lineup drawn from Grand Rapids’ active D.I.Y. community. In September 2012, following several years of regional gigs and limited touring, he shifted to Philadelphia and shared a house with Swearin’ members and participants from other local punk outfits.
Just as he had contributed to multiple groups around Grand Rapids, Cook-Parrott quickly integrated into Philadelphia circles, serving briefly as bassist for Waxahatchee and forming a fresh full-band edition of Radiator Hospital with area musicians. Although the project had already issued abundant material through online and independent channels, its debut official album, Something Wild, emerged in summer 2013 via Salinas Records. Portions retained the earlier lo-fi methods, yet Swearin’ guitarist and vocalist Kyle Gilbride supplied production support on the livelier ensemble tracks. Radiator Hospital maintained its energetic two- to three-minute format on the heartbreak-themed Torch Song in 2014 before issuing Play the Songs You Like in 2017. Recorded by Jeff Zeigler, whose credits include Allison Crutchfield and the War on Drugs, that album featured Cook-Parrott alongside guitarist and vocalist Cynthia Schemmer, bassist Jon Rybicki, and drummer Jeff Bolt.
The project reverted to a genuine solo endeavor for the self-recorded fourth album, Music for Daydreaming, issued by Salinas Records in 2019. Cook-Parrott performed and captured every part independently for the first time since departing Michigan. Between Radiator Hospital releases, he participated in several ensembles, among them the acoustic duo the Afterglows and additional Philadelphia D.I.Y. outlets such as Paper Bee and the Goodbye Party. The full-band configuration reconvened for the fifth album, Can't Make Any Promises, which appeared in May 2023. Again produced with Gilbride’s assistance, the set of compact yet meandering pop songs incorporated basic lo-fi drum machine and keyboard textures on selected tracks.
Cook-Parrott launched the project soon after finishing high school in Grand Rapids, with the initial cassette surfacing in January 2010. A succession of cassettes, 7-inch singles, and area performances followed, sometimes featuring Cook-Parrott alone on ukulele or acoustic guitar and at other times supported by a conventional loud rock lineup drawn from Grand Rapids’ active D.I.Y. community. In September 2012, following several years of regional gigs and limited touring, he shifted to Philadelphia and shared a house with Swearin’ members and participants from other local punk outfits.
Just as he had contributed to multiple groups around Grand Rapids, Cook-Parrott quickly integrated into Philadelphia circles, serving briefly as bassist for Waxahatchee and forming a fresh full-band edition of Radiator Hospital with area musicians. Although the project had already issued abundant material through online and independent channels, its debut official album, Something Wild, emerged in summer 2013 via Salinas Records. Portions retained the earlier lo-fi methods, yet Swearin’ guitarist and vocalist Kyle Gilbride supplied production support on the livelier ensemble tracks. Radiator Hospital maintained its energetic two- to three-minute format on the heartbreak-themed Torch Song in 2014 before issuing Play the Songs You Like in 2017. Recorded by Jeff Zeigler, whose credits include Allison Crutchfield and the War on Drugs, that album featured Cook-Parrott alongside guitarist and vocalist Cynthia Schemmer, bassist Jon Rybicki, and drummer Jeff Bolt.
The project reverted to a genuine solo endeavor for the self-recorded fourth album, Music for Daydreaming, issued by Salinas Records in 2019. Cook-Parrott performed and captured every part independently for the first time since departing Michigan. Between Radiator Hospital releases, he participated in several ensembles, among them the acoustic duo the Afterglows and additional Philadelphia D.I.Y. outlets such as Paper Bee and the Goodbye Party. The full-band configuration reconvened for the fifth album, Can't Make Any Promises, which appeared in May 2023. Again produced with Gilbride’s assistance, the set of compact yet meandering pop songs incorporated basic lo-fi drum machine and keyboard textures on selected tracks.
Albums
Watching A Fire
2023
Can't Make Any Promises
2023
New Depression
2020
Sings 'Music for Daydreaming'
2019
Play the Songs You Like
2017
Torch Song
2014
Something Wild
2013
Singles
