PALMS ANNOUNCE FORTHCOMING EP ‘INTENSITY SUNSHINE’ OUT APRIL 9 NEW TRACK + VIDEO ‘CALLING’ OUT NOW
Listen ‘CALLING‘ Here
“Palms aim right for the gut and effectively land the blow with power, precision and a sense of celebratory fun.” Sydney Morning Herald
“This One Is Your One’ is a cracking slice of power pop that is a little more intense than Elvis Costello, a little less abrasive than Jay Reatard, but which belongs somewhere in between those two worlds…it just makes you feel good and there’s a whole lot to be said for any song that can do that” Double J
“Palms have made the term ‘comeback’ their b*tch” Tone Deaf
We’re stoked to announce the new EP from Sydney’s beloved indie rockers Palms, titled ‘Intensity Sunshine’, set for release April 9th, 2021. Following on from previous single ‘This One Is Your One’ – the band’s first new music in more than five years – Palms also today share a new single ‘Calling’ – a song about coming out, living the life you need to live and finding happiness in it.
Recorded with Liam Judson (Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Cloud Control) in his Blue Mountains studio, the track is the perfect jam for the last days of Summer. Starting with a pared back, raw and confessional opening – just singer and songwriter Al Grigg’s voice and lone strummed guitar – the song builds to a swarm of electrified feeling, taking the listener on a journey through uncertainty before landing somewhere proud and life-affirming while doing plenty of head-banging along the way.
“For me the song is about coming out and being proud and owning who you are, who you’ve been, and finding a way to be comfortable in it all” Grigg says. But he also hopes the song will resonate with listeners regardless of who they are and what their lives look like.
“Other people might relate to that, or it could just be living the life you wanna live, ditching that crummy job, doing that thing you’ve always wanted to do but put off, or are kind of intimidated by,” Grigg continues. “Like when you know there’s something better out there and it’s calling to you. You gotta pick up that call cos what other options are there, really?” The song cements Palms’ knack for crafting deceptively simple, hook-laden, good time jams and injecting them with depth of thought and feeling, aiming for the hips as well as the heart.
“It’s always important to me that our songs have that multifaceted feel,” Grigg says. “If you wanna take them at face value and just jump around, that’s totally ace. But if you wanna dig deeper, hopefully there’s more for you to sink your teeth into.”
Banging out hook-laden tunes pulsing with infectious energy and a healthy dose of wild abandon, Palms are a four-piece from Sydney, Australia who have become one of the city’s most-loved underground bands.
Formed by best buds Al Grigg (songwriter, vocals and guitar) and Tom Wallace (drums and backing vocals) from the aftermath of their previous band Red Riders, these friends weren’t ready to abandon this whole music caper just yet. Settling into a style of music they felt more at home in, the duo released their first single, “The Summer Is Done With Us” in 2011.
By the time their now-cult classic debut Step Brothers appeared in 2013, they’d grown to a quartet, adding Brendy Walsh (bass) and Dion “Danger” Ford (guitar) to their ranks. Recorded by Owen Penglis (Royal Headache, Straight Arrows) in his kitchen, and released through Spunk Records, the record effortlessly spiked catchy-as-hell indie rock with a bit of garage chaos. Armed with monstrous tunes like “Love” and “This Last Year” the band quickly gained fans across the country.
As their reputation grew, a second record Crazy Rack appeared in 2015. Released by Ivy League Records, the album was once again produced by Penglis (in an actual studio this time!) and won the band support from national broadcaster triple j with the single “Beatdown”.
After an accidental five-year hiatus — hijacked by love, side projects, interstate and back again moves and kids — Palms are once again not quite ready to give up on their musical adventure, marking their return with forthcoming EP ‘Intensity Sunshine’, due out April 9th 2021.
‘This One Is Your One’ and ‘Calling’ are out now.
