In an interview with Classic Rock, veteran American musician Bruce Hornsby discusses his continued drive to experiment rather than coast on past successes as he releases his new album, Indigo Park. Now aged 70 and with a catalogue of Grammy-winning hits and high-profile collaborations behind him, Hornsby describes himself as a "lifelong student" determined to create sounds he has not heard before, deliberately steering his career "to the dark side" rather than simply revisiting old material.

Speaking from his home in Virginia, Hornsby contrasts himself with peers who "mine the old gold", saying he is chasing the small share of his audience who want adventure, dissonance and atonality, while still writing simple songs on every record. Indigo Park reflects this range, pairing challenging, extended tracks such as Entropy Here (Rust In Peace), Silhouette Shadows and Ecstatic — blending rock, jazz, classical and hip-hop — with pared-down, piano-led songs like Take A Light Strain and North Dakota Slate Roof that echo his mid-80s work with Bruce Hornsby And The Range. The album, whose cover features an Edward Hopper etching, draws on influences from Ligeti's Etudes to Muddy Waters and Bob Dylan, and carries a lyrical theme of time and memory, epitomised by the standout track Memory Palace, a duet with Vampire Weekend.