Palehound’s new album A Place I’ll Always Go will be out in a couple weeks, in mid-June, and they’ve been steadily sharing singles off the record, kicking it off with the wrestling-inspired “Flowing Over,” and following that up with “Room,” a track that the band’s frontwoman Ellen Kempner said expressly celebrates queer love.
“This song celebrates queer love and the joy of finding a healthy relationship after a long time of heartbreak and shame,” she told Fader of the song. “For the majority of my life I saw my queerness as a curse and I have recently come to see it for what it is: A huge gift and a source of immeasurable love and happiness for me.”
“If You Met Her” is a bit of a darker, harrowing track than “Room,” and it gets at deeper questions about life and existence; the crux of it is remembering time spent with someone from your past, and then bringing those memories into the future, shared with a new partner.
For the most part, the video follows Kempner through an ordinary day, as she drives through town, lays on her couch playing guitar, and sits on her bed. “When the dust clears / Where’s my body?” she asks on the chorus, as the room comes crashing down around her. Whether the song is about grief, a breakup, or just the concept of loss, it’s a searing portrayal.
A Place I’ll Always Go is out June 16 via Polyvinyl Records. Pre-order it here.
