Album Review: Painted Palms – ‘Forever’

New York – Radiating from The Bay in glossy and cascading lo-fi pop, Painted Palms’ sound will warm you straight through the teeth of winter. Vibing in sub-tropic atmospheres, their music teleports audiences to a warm, wild escape. Exotic like an imagined neon botanical garden, their sound is infused with 60’s-style psychedelic rock, yet anchored in contemporary pop. Forever is their latest release, and it is a welcome relief from wintertime.

Painted Palms is a pair of cousins, Reese Donohue and Christopher Prudhomme. Backed by indie rock gods Of Montreal, this family band just released their first-ever, full-length album on January 14th via Polyvinyl Records.

“Spinning Signs” was our preview of the album. A perfectly glorious, mind trip of a track, it felt like watching a black and white film explode into color. At three minutes long, the song is saturated in vibrant melodies. Similarly, the title track is a powerhouse jam. Melodic, swirly, and full of force, “Forever” will hook you instantly and dye your daydreams Technicolor. “Carousel” is another track that floats above the rest, and originally appeared on the Carousel EP circa 2012. Bold enough back then to win our attention, it remains a standout track. 

Undoubtedly, the ambiance of this album at large pulls heavily from genres of yesteryear. However, it’s still tightly tethered to modernity. In spite of the nostalgia these tracks inspire, they were built on the chill wave movement, and the songs sound entirely new because of it. This link from past to present may be Painted Palms’ greatest sonic strength, and Forever’s biggest triumph.

Although San Francisco claims this group as their own, their true roots are in Lafayette, Louisiana, where the boys were raised. These cousins began their musical endeavors in earnest after Donohue had already migrated westward. The distance between them spurred an artist and electronic exchange, resulting in the creation of, and mutual commitment to, Painted Palms.

The duo basically wrote their debut, Canopy, via e-mail, which was released in 2011 on Secretly Canadian. Carousel EP followed in 2012, as the boys made the jump to Polyvinyl Records. The last time we heard from this gang was June of last year, when they surprised fans (Beyoncé style) with their self-released EP, Nothing Lasts Long, and offered it up for free via Soundcloud. After touring extensively with Of Montreal, STRFKR and Braids, Prudhomme moved out to join Donohue in California.

Of Canopy, Prudhomme said in an interview, “Being in our bedrooms when we made this EP creates a sacred space. The whole idea is that you’re there with yourself. It’s a very personal process.” This concept certainly rings true of Forever, too. The new album is complex, sonically and thematically, evoking an intimacy of thought and an overarching need to share in the dissection of isolationism.

After long silence, fans are entirely grateful that the first full-length endeavor is finally up for grabs. Forever encompasses all the ambient, beachy bliss of Californian coastlines, and is a pretty, trippy, getaway for us all. Painted Palms will perform at SXSW this year, so pencil that in now, give them a listen and keep fantasizing about ditching the winter wear. Surely, we can expect more warmth from this act in 2014. 

 

 

Liz Rowley

Liz Rowley

Born in Mexico and raised in Toronto, Jerusalem and Chicago by a pair of journalists, Liz comes to BestNewBands.com with an inherited love of writing. After discovering a niche for herself in music journalism and radio while at Bates College in Maine, she always keeps a running playlist of new music to soundtrack her place in the world. Liz is passionate about helping dedicated, talented musicians gain the exposure they deserve. A recent transplant to Brooklyn from Hawaii, she is plagued by an incurable case of wanderlust and cursed with an affinity for old maps and old things like typewriters and vintage books. She adores photography and running and is very good with plants. Having come of age in Chicago, Wilco speaks to her soul. If she could be anything, she would be a cat in a Murakami novel.
Liz Rowley

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