Holy smokes, London quartet Palace have premiered a new song! Part-exclamation, part title-related pun aside, Palace are a band we’ve been keeping a keen interest in since their debut EP over a year ago and “Holy Smoke” is yet another glimpse at their upcoming So Long Forever album due out in November.
It sees the return of that signature slow and pensive blues groove that oozes style, a tone that prevails once again following the uncharacteristically bold math-rock offerings of “Break The Silence” and “Have Faith.”
“Holy Smoke” has all the hallmarks of a crushing Palace track: Leo Wyndham sumptuously bellows lyrics littered with emotive metaphors of love and loss: “I’ve seen holy smoke at the window, rise up through the shadows with a new glow. Farewell my friend, it’s over now.” All the while the ornate soundscape beneath continuously builds to an inevitable crescendo before the obligatory fade. Consistently crafting such a delicate yet powerful sound with impeccable precision is an impressive feat but one that is achieved in order to best carry the idea behind it: “Someone once told me that when someone dies you have to open the window to let their soul escape. The Holy Smoke. This song is about being in that situation which I was, not that long ago. It’s about losing someone close to you, and experiencing something quite spiritual in the moments after death – when by their side.”
11-track debut album So Long Forever is released via Fiction Records on 4th November with the band already explaining “Our album is a great summary of where Palace are as a band. It’s a culmination of very early songs and new ones. We wanted an album that takes you on a journey through different emotions and ups and downs.”