Album Review: Palma Violets – Danger In The Club
2 min read
English rockers Palma Violets’ sophomore album Danger In The Club is a celebration of garage rock with a 1950s rock twist. With such a rough genre, ultimately the album becomes a diverse expression of chaos, storytelling and musical styles. Danger In The Club demonstrates a complexity in musicality and a real kick-arse style that nevertheless gives the Palma Violets a distinct sound.
The first full-length track Hollywood (I Got It) is fast-paced and heavily reminiscent of 1960s surf rock with a male falsetto from the get-go. It is simplistic in lyrical form but the musical layers are complex and transformative throughout the song. The male falsettos pair with the twangy guitar to create a catchy and very upbeat tune that hooks you in. The track Danger In The Club contrasts this with a tamer sound, slower tempo and more contemporary feel. This song is like a mash between The Black Keys and the Arctic Monkeys.
Walking Home is the only track that really demonstrates a dramatically different style as the song tackles a more emotional topic. However, while none of the songs on this album can be described as slow, somehow Walking Home just feels more raw and personal. Peter and the Gun also feels a lot more emotional, even though it’s filled with highly distorted vocals. This song is very much a story and in that way it goes through very different sections and modes. This songs demonstrates high diversity and is the best song on the album musically.
Secrets of America is another punchy track that is very catchy and fun. It showcases the rather vintage, low male vocal element that they have going on through a few tracks. The track Gout! Gang! Go! again plays with a catchy and fun feel and this is shown to be what the band does best. What that ultimately makes this album enjoyable is that the Palma Violets sounds like they are having a great time.
Overall, the album hosts quite a few memorable tracks that show diversity in genre and a real playfulness in musicality. While some songs aren’t particularly memorable, the good tracks are really good. From listening to this album I can’t see how they ever fit into the indie genre, and I dare say they go far beyond it. Danger In The Club is an album that is fun, rough and fearlessly chaotic.
