One word oftentimes surfaces in reviews of Philly-based four piece Palm‘s discography: innovation. The band’s dizzying style makes it hard to pin down their genre, but they have been labeled math rock, art rock, and avant-pop. But however you describe their sound, it’s clear they push the indie rock envelope — and their third studio album Nicks And Grazes is no different.
The band, made up of members Eve Alpert, Kasra Kurt, Gerasimos Livitsanos, and Hugo Stanley, first formed in 2015 with little previous music experience and one shared goal: to re-imagine the structure of a song. Throughout the band’s catalog, you can hear varying time signatures that switch up in the same track and a patchwork of instruments. But for their Nicks And Grazes LP, Palm added an electronic edge. After spending years mastering the software Ableton, the band were able to further their experimentation. The new 13-track project features songs ranging from 50-seconds to just over 6-minutes and manages to manipulate influences like Japanese pop music and dubstep through an indie rock lens. Their song “Feathers,” for example, juxtaposes dissonant samples with Alpert’s honeyed vocals to create a soundscape that’s both jarring and inviting.
To celebrate their album’s release and current tour, Palm drummer Hugo Stanley sat down with Uproxx to talk oysters, Slint, and Wayne’s World in our latest Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Goopy, pointy, cold, warm.
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
Playful discovery music.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?
Maybe Chicago or San Francisco.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work?
Each other.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life?
It’s impossible to answer but we just had some amazing oysters in Portland, Maine.
What album do you know every word to?
When i actually think about it, very few. Beatles’ Revolver or something.
What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?
Maybe Slint in 2014 in Asbury Park, New Jersey or Neil Young and Patti Smith in New York a couple years earlier.
What is the best outfit for performing and why?
Something baggy.
Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?
@insportadas on Instagram.
What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?
“Choices” by E40.
What’s the last thing you Googled?
“Guy freaks out at trumpeter.”
What album makes for the perfect gift?
John Coltrane’s My Favorite Things.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
A bunker in a supermarket parking lot in Toronto or this crazy squat in St. Louis called Bolozone.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
I have none.
What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?
Nirvana or Justin Bieber.
What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?
Our friend Kristine helped me move from Philly to NYC recently, that was really nice.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Listen to your body.
What’s the last show you went to?
Ours last night. Before this tour, I saw our friend Sammy Weissberg perform some of his compositions as well as the band @ in a West Philly basement. It was great.
What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?
Wayne’s World.
What’s one of your hidden talents?
I don’t know if I still got it but I used to be pretty nice at pogo sticking.
Nicks And Grazes is out now via Saddle Creek. Get it here.
