The Breakdown
Arriving following their self-titled debut 7″ released last year, Los Palms have set LP Skeleton Ranch loose on the world via Fuzz Club Records. It serves up an infectiously hedonistic cocktail of jangly surf-rock, 1960s garage and 13th-floor psychedelia. The band describe their sound as “Desert Jangle”, with influences all the way from 60s Peruvian bands like Los Saicos, Los Destellos & Los Holy’s to modern Californian sweethearts Allah-Las & LA dirt shredders Night Beats.
The group consists of guitarist/vocalist Ant Candlish, guitarist Sam Arthurson, bass player Nathan Solly, drummer/vocalist Code Andrusko and keys player Will Bahnisch. Playing countless sold-out local shows and being invited to perform at the best South Australian festivals/events and now with the band starting to tour around Australia, Los Palms have no plans on slowing down and all eyes have been set on the international stage.
Talking about the record, the band explain “These are neo-psych ghost stories that create a detailed musical landscape by mixing feedback, fuzz, eerie organs and reverb-soaked guitar and vocals.”
Opening with ‘Scared of Saturday Nights’, a fuzz laden guitar hook sinks its teeth deep and doesn’t let up, add a weighty drum beat and dislocated vocals and you have a track that lingers long after it had passed by. ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Cool’ is desert rock at its finest and holds its own with the greats of the genre whilst ‘Cadillac’ slows things down and shows the versatility of the musicians, one trick pony’s these guys are not. ‘Just a Sin’ picks up the pace once more and could easily find its way onto any modern Western soundtrack, particularly if desert landscapes are involved; and yet this makes its own soundscapes without prompting. ‘Sorrows’ continues in this vein but speaks more of saloon gunfights and liquor shots.
‘Dead Man’ stands in contrast to its predecessors, it presents a psychedelic front much more than any other track on offer and again shows what this band are really about. There are influences to be heard in abundance, yet somehow Los Palms have made something entirely new; its confusing and enticing. ‘Sandy’ appears to be their version of the pre-requisite love song and ‘Sunday Death Drive’ ‘s frenetic pace leaves you breathless, Tarantino might like this, more than just a touch. The one to dance too, you could see this filling floors early and it definitely has some rockabilly tendencies. Concluding with ‘Let’s Go the Water’ has a touch of all that has gone before, neatly wrapped up into a fantastic ending track that leaves you appreciating what has gone, and instantly starting it from the beginning again.
These songs are evocative, there is a darkness embedded which seeps through your consciousness without prompting. They have honed their sound to such a sharp edge their isn’t a note out of place, newcomers they may be but there execution is flawless.
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