Song of the Day: Palm - Walkie Talkie

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is “Walkie Talkie" by Palm, from their forthcoming EP, Shadow Expert, due June 16th on Carpark Records.

Palm - Walkie Talkie (MP3)After years of touring the Greater New York-area alongside a host of other now-prominent bands (Frankie Cosmos, LVL UP, Alex G), Palm will at long last release the Shadow Expert EP, their first release on indie mainstay Carpark Records. Shadow Expert finds the group further finessing their tightly wound, discordant brand of art rock, originally developed as undergraduates at Bard College. "Walkie Talkie," today's featured Song of the Day, feels at times head-spinningly complex, but also one of the most intriguing, pop-inspired tracks which Palm has released to date.

Starting with a sole chiming guitar, "Walkie Talkie" churns into motion, the tempo constantly altering, spinning in and out of control. The track resembles a mechanism, each part tightly constructed to compliment and complicate. The demonic dual vocals of Eve Alpert and Kasra Kurt ring above the cacophony, superficially recalling Dirty Projectors or Guerrilla Toss, but with a decidedly different bent. "Walkie Talkie" reaffirms what Palm fans have known for years-- the band is easily the best circus-sized spectacles in town.

Palm will be back in Seattle on July 11 at Timbre Room, supported by local favorites So Pitted and Palberta, which should be a must-see event. For more information, check out the band's website and Bandcamp. They'll also be live on KEXP on Tuesday, July 11th, at 12PM, so tune in then. In the meantime, here is a memorable twenty-minute video of the band performing live in 2016.