The world has been patiently awaiting the return of Palm, waiting to see what the Philadelphia quartet capable of seemingly anything would do next. While four years isn’t such a long await, with a band like Palm, who’s never released the same record twice, it can feel like an eternity, but Nicks and Grazes has arrived, and Palm have once again successfully leaped over any expectations into their own stratosphere. With their new album, released via their new home at Saddle Creek (Black Belt Eagle Scout, Disq, Feeble Little Horse), Palm presents a new form for the band, one far deeper immersed in experimental electronics but still somehow with “rock” at it’s core, even at its most alien. With a cavalcade of “how’d they do that” moments, it quickly sets itself up as on of the year’s most albums, with a maximalist array of sounds and shapes moving about with freedom. It’s the kind of album you listen to on repeat, finding different nuances with every listen, where nothing is quite as it seems and everything feels exactly in orbit. There’s a great deal of experimentation at play, but with dynamics warping and shifting in constant motion, Palm never loose sight of the songs themselves, creating something with forward-thinking momentum as catchy as it is defying. - DG