https://soundcloud.com/thisispalaces/sets/palaces-dust-telephone-single
This past May we were introduced to the Detroit duo Palaces, and this week S.S. and Cat Cobra return with their new single, Dust/Telephone. Representing a bit of a departure for the pair, the two chose to forgo a studio setting for the chance to do things themselves here, recording these tracks in their basement set-up between December of last year and February 2015. As Cat Cobra explains, “Rather than feel stranger’s eyes watching and dollars burning, we decided to hideout in a basement in the winter of 2015 and do everything ourselves.” Having sold their old instruments on Ebay, as well as some of their “girlfriend’s things” (hope they were cool with that, guys), the two were able to “purchase cheap new gear”. On their own now, the band reports,
“Without a clock running and no one’s agendas but our own, we were able to delve into more experimentation with synthesizers and effects, and we were able to step inside of our own comfort zones to create something we were extremely proud of.”
The results find Palaces ever closer to dialing in their sound and aesthetic, and in so doing they bring an eclectic range of influences to the table. “Dust” is taut and musical, displaying the duo’s dark wave leaning tastes while interweaving nimble guitar lines with warm fuzzed synth tones; but if there’s something post-punk in the end result, to get there, the pair have triangulated several styles into something that is now their own. The single’s other track, “Telephone“, finds the band striking out for slightly different territory. While it’s opening riff was inspired by a “deep love for Dire Straits’ greatest hits”, that’s not the first thing that necessarily comes to mind, which is further evidence that Palaces’ influences have become merely creative starting points for their wide ranging sonic approach.
