Single Review: Palms Station – “Alive”

A flowing harmony between the lead vocal in “Alive” and the bed of guitar play it would use as a canvas to paint us a picture is all Palms Station needed to capture the attention of hardcore indie fans this December with their latest single and music video, but rather than going barebones here, they create a hypnotic cocktail of neo-psychedelic pop and mild rock that most anyone could fall in love with. Simply put, Palms Station shine like the left-field diamond they always have been in “Alive,” which despite being a melody-powered composition has the depth and sonic intensity of a much more sophisticated (and, in today’s market, expensively-produced) single/video combo.

Studio performances that have the kind of natural presence this one does always leave me wondering about the live potential of the band, but I’m more interested in knowing how Palms Station wants to expand upon their in-house brand of experimentalism after listening to this song. There’s a lot of ground they’re hinting at exploring in this piece, namely within the realm of insular harmonies (such as the MBV-style hook at the center of “Alive”), and I’d be curious to hear how they manipulate volume into the bigger picture of this pop-friendly sound they’ve got now.

 

 

There is so much they can do with the size of this music, and they’re being relatively conservative with their options in this single almost purposely as if to indicate that they want to take their time in developing something unique and wholly separate from the heavy-obsessed generation of psychedelic rockers preceding them.

2022 has given us a lot to be intrigued by among independent bands, but on the front of blended stylizations, this track belongs in the cream of the crop. Nothing comes between the act and the audience in “Alive;” the mix is tight as can be, and though the video is aesthetically blushing with indulgences, its music makes a counterbalance that stops any one particular element from becoming overwhelming. I had only heard a little bit of Palms Station’s discography before now, and while I was genuinely impressed with what I heard, this is on another level of exceptionalism. If “Alive” is setting the tone for what we can expect out of this group moving forward, then I would plan on seeing their moniker in the headlines a lot more than it has been. With more exposure internationally, I think this act is going to do some amazing things.

 

Babette Cook