Palehound announce new album, ‘Eye on the Bat’
Palehound have announced their fourth album, Eye on the Bat, their first since 2019’s Black Friday. Led by El Kempner, Palehound have always created deeply personal alternative rock records, and if new single ‘The Clutch’ is anything to go by, Eye on the Bat will be no exception.
On ‘The Clutch’, Kempner uses visceral imagery to address a past lover, such as the captivating opening line, “I didn’t wanna see that bloody hand on your stomach that night.” They pair this intense lyricism with raw guitars and a satisfyingly cathartic vocal delivery, repeating refrains of “It’s a punch in the gut” to emphasise the physicality of their emotions.
In a press release, Kempner shared insight into the ferocious new track: “‘The Clutch’ is the very first song I wrote for this album, back in 2020 right when lockdown started. I had been on a tour that was sliced in half by the onset of the pandemic and we had to apocalypse road trip back to New York across the country from Oregon, where our next show had been scheduled for.”
They added: “While that was happening, I was also having a triggering romantic experience with somebody I didn’t know too well, and by the time I got home my whole body seemed to be spinning in turmoil. Writing and producing this song grounded me and helped me process a new future and self that I hadn’t anticipated.”
Kempner emphasises feelings of significant change and transition through the whirlwind of instruments, weaving between stripped-back moments of tension-building and enjoyably chaotic thrashes of cymbals and guitar. The musician’s emotions bleed through every note, making ‘The Clutch’ feel wholly intimate. Yet simultaneously, it is perfectly anthemic due to Kempner’s desperate singalong affirmations of “You didn’t need my help” that play out the track.
Eye on the Bat is due for release on July 14th.
Listen to ‘The Clutch’ below.
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