New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Philly-based band Palm present a new single, "Parable Lickers," from Nicks and Grazes, their new album out October 14th on Saddle Creek. In conjunction, they announce their first headlining North American tour since 2018. "Parable Lickers" follows lead single "Feathers," which marked their first new music in four years. "Parable Lickers" exemplifies Palm's ever-evolving passion for sound design, looping a sample of a high school drumline paired with steelpan and timpani sounds. Expansive vocal performances by both guitarists / vocalists Eve Alpert and Kasra Kurt resist translation, their voices serving as another instrument, as opposed to conveying a narrative meaning.
"'Parable Lickers' is the oldest one of the bunch," explains drummer Hugo Stanley. "We were performing a version of this song live when we previously toured, but it didn't finish itself until just before we went to the studio. It's the only track on this record with MIDI guitar, which was kind of a hallmark of our previous album, Rock Island. The sample used is a recording of a drumline playing at the high school across the street from Eve and Kasra's old house in Kensington, PA."
Palm's live performances are revered for their uncanny synchronicity; one gets the sense that the members share an intuition unexplained by logic. Over the last decade, the costs of maintaining such intense symbiosis consumed the lives of its members to a point of exhaustion where they were unsure if they'd make another record. It was only after multiple freak injuries followed by a pandemic, forced a pause - from touring but also from writing, rehearsing, even seeing each other - that the four were able to regroup and see a way forward again.
While making Nicks and Grazes, the line between songwriting and production was blurred. The band spent the last few years educating themselves on the ins and outs of production by learning Ableton while also experimenting with the more percussive and textural elements of their instruments. Citing Japanese pop music, dub, and footwork as influences on the album's sonic landscape, the band also found themselves revisiting the artists who inspired them to start the group over a decade ago such as
Glenn Branca,
Captain Beefheart, and Sonic Youth. Returning to the fundamentals gave Palm a strong foundation upon which they could experiment freely, resulting in their most ambitious and revelatory album to date.
Nick and Grazes captures the spontaneous, free energy of their inimitable live shows while integrating elements from the traditionally gridded palette of electronic music. This can be seen across their North
America later this year. A full list can be found below and tickets go on sale this Friday, August 26th.
Palm Tour Dates:
Fri. Oct. 28 - Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
Sat. Oct. 29 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
Sun. Oct. 30 - Portland, ME @ SPACE
Tue. Nov. 1 - Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa
Wed. Nov. 2 - Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe
Thu. Nov. 3 - Ferndale, MI @ Otus Supply
Sat. Nov. 5 - Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village
Sun. Nov. 6 - Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
Tue. Nov. 8 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
Wed. Nov. 9 - Kansas City, MO @ RecordBar
Fri. Nov. 11 - Denton, TX @ Andy's Bar
Sat. Nov. 12 - Austin, TX @ Parish
Mon. Nov. 14 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
Tue. Nov. 15 - Nashville, TN @ The End
Wed. Nov. 16 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Fri. Nov. 18 - Durham, NC @ Pinhook
Sat. Nov. 19 - Washington, DC @ DC9
Tue. Nov. 29 - Cambridge, MA @ Sinclair
Wed. Nov. 30 - Brooklyn, NY @
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Thu. Dec. 1 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Church
Sat. Dec. 3 - St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
Sun. Dec. 4 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb
Tue. Dec. 6 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
Wed. Dec. 7 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Fri. Dec. 9 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
Sat. Dec. 10 - Seattle, WA @
Madame Lous
Sun. Dec. 11 - Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall
Tue. Dec. 13 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
Wed. Dec. 14 - Los Angeles, CA @ Echo
Thu. Dec. 15 - San DIego, CA @ Soda Bar
Fri. Dec. 16 - Phoenix, AZ @
Rebel Lounge
Sat. Dec. 17 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sister
