Palehound has a reputation for crafting ambitious and thoughtful videos, and “My Evil” might be the apex.
The single arrived on Wednesday, May 31, as the second offering from Palehound’s forthcoming album, Eye On The Bat, after April’s “The Clutch.”
“‘My Evil’ is about the extremely humbling experience of realizing that yes, you Are the a**hole,” lead vocalist El Kempner said in a press release. “I found myself acting in ways I was ashamed of, and realizing how capable I was of hurting somebody when I was trying so hard not to. Sometimes when you try so hard to be a ‘good person,’ you’re actually swinging so far and recklessly that you make a full circle back to being a sh*thead. It can be very hard to forgive yourself, and this song is a portrait of that struggle for me.”
The “My Evil” video is more literally a portrait of The Sopranos‘ opening credits scene, as Kempner also explained:
“The Sopranos is a show that’s been constantly on loop in my life for the past few years. When I got the idea to make a video based on the intro credits of Tony driving through Jersey, I knew I had to do it with my friend Richard Orofino. He’s possibly even a bigger Sopranos fan than I am, and he did an incredible job mapping out a lot of the original locations from the show, including Tony’s house that we see at the end of the video. This whole thing was super DIY, just me and Richard (and his camcorder) having the time of our lives and being embarrassing superfans. It’s not exactly shot-for-shot of the original but, to brag for a sec, I’m truly amazed at how close we were able to get it.”
Perhaps the song’s crowning achievement is making self-loathing sound so delightful. “I’ve become the person I’d want to punch in the face if they / Ever treated you this way,” Kempner sings softly in the opening verse. “My Evil” continues to lay out Kempner’s vices, or how they feel their “evil” comes to fruition, delicately acknowledging that side of themselves without crossing over into admonishment.
Watch the “My Evil” video above, and check out Palehound’s 2023 North American headlining tour dates below. (Ticketing information is available here.)
10/17 — Syracuse, NY @ The Lost Horizon #
10/19 — New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom #
10/20 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry #
10/21 — Washington, DC @ Union Stage #
10/23 — Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall #
10/24 — Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall #
10/25 — Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade – Purgatory #
10/26 — Nashville, TN @ Blue Room @ Third Man #
10/28 — Austin, TX @ TBA
10/29 — Oklahoma City, OK @ Factory Obscura
11/01 — Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge $
11/02 — San Diego, CA @ Casbah $
11/03 — Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room $
11/04 — San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel $
11/06 — Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s $
11/07 — Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios $
11/09 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court $
11/10 — Denver, CO @ Globe Hall $
11/11 — Fort Collins, CO @ The Coast $
11/14 — Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry $
11/15 — Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon $
11/17 — Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle $
11/18 — Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar $
# with Empath
$ with alexalone
Eye On The Bat is out 7/14 via Polyvinyl Record Co. Find more information here.
