Chicago-based artist Maris O’Tierney has always been guided by place, memory, and transformation. Through her genre-expansive project Park Hills Circle, she channels the landscapes that shaped her—from the rugged coastlines of Alaska to the mythic shores of Ireland—into songs that feel both deeply personal and universally resonant. This week, she unveils “Unspoke,” a breathtaking new single from her forthcoming debut album, All of a Sudden, arriving July 10 via Pravda Records.
Wrapped in warm synth textures and drifting atop ethereal vocal harmonies, “Unspoke” is a song about emerging from darkness and rediscovering the possibility of light. What begins in quiet introspection gradually unfolds into something expansive and hopeful, mirroring the emotional journey at its core. O’Tierney’s voice moves through the arrangement with remarkable tenderness, carrying lyrics that reflect a hard-earned sense of renewal: “I can’t tell you why I feel more alive these days / after a certain number of miles, your breath catches up to you.”
The song was born during a sleepless night following a powerful Chicago thunderstorm. At the time, O’Tierney was navigating a period of profound transition—living alone after years of sharing a home with her twin sister, while also confronting an intense bout of depression. Seeking comfort, she turned to her classical guitar, whose nylon-string warmth opened a creative pathway after days of silence. What followed was an experience that felt almost dreamlike, blending memory, imagination, and emotional revelation.
That dream became central to the song’s identity. O’Tierney recalls envisioning herself as a whale ascending from the cold depths of the Alaskan ocean toward shimmering sunlight above. The image became a powerful metaphor for survival, healing, and resurfacing after emotional isolation. Throughout “Unspoke,” listeners can feel that ascent unfold, each layer of synth and harmony bringing the song closer to its radiant conclusion.
While the original composition began on guitar, O’Tierney intentionally stripped that element away in the final recording, allowing collaborator Aaron Otheim’s synths and piano arrangements to illuminate the song’s emotional spectrum. The result is a soundscape that feels immersive and cinematic, balancing intimacy with grandeur.
“Unspoke” also serves as a compelling introduction to All of a Sudden, an album that chronicles change, self-discovery, and the nonlinear process of healing. The record emerged following the evolution of O’Tierney’s longtime musical partnership with her twin sister Bryce, with whom she spent nearly a decade performing and touring as Maeve & Quinn. As life shifted and new chapters unfolded, O’Tierney found herself reconnecting with her roots in classical guitar, opera, art song traditions, and experimental songwriting.
Recorded at Chicago’s Bim Bom Studios with engineer Michael MacDonald, All of a Sudden showcases a rich collaborative spirit. Otheim’s synth and piano work, alongside saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi’s lyrical improvisations, helps create an album that moves fluidly between atmospheric folk-pop, jazz-inflected textures, and expansive art-pop arrangements. Supported by percussionist Quin Kirchner and bassist Matt Ulery, the record embraces emotional complexity rather than seeking easy resolutions.
Across its ten songs, All of a Sudden explores the ways memory reshapes experience and how growth reveals what remains sacred. Whether examining the fractures of a relationship, reclaiming self-worth, or finding comfort in solitude, O’Tierney approaches each moment with remarkable honesty and grace. The album’s title track ultimately arrives at a place of acceptance and resilience, offering one of its most poignant reflections: “I still have the grief you gave me / but it’s not all I kept.”
With “Unspoke,” Park Hills Circle delivers a stunning meditation on survival, identity, and the courage required to emerge from emotional depths. It is a song that does not simply document healing—it embodies it, carrying listeners upward on waves of sound toward something brighter, gentler, and profoundly hopeful.
