by Ljubinko Zivkovic (@zivljub)
There’s always an intriguing factor when you try to figure out a band that seemingly has such an easy sound to the ear, but somehow with each song they step into another direction while still keeping it recognizable. It’s truly a hard thing to do across two or three separate releases, let alone a single EP. Yet, that is exactly the thing Minneapolis quartet Palm Friends seem to be doing on The Delivery, their latest EP.
The opener “Hidden Perks” reminds you of some of the best pop-rock that came out of Great Britain’s Sarah Records, updated for current times. Yet, “Light Pink” that follows is one of those indie ballads that simply relies on the quality of melody and pure emotion of singer Shawnna Stennes. Elsewhere, “Devotion” sung by guitarist Jesse Pederssen is another update - this time of latter-day Pavement, and a good one at that. Still, throughout the six tracks here, Palm Friends keep a unified musical vision and a thread of easily switching from melancholy to understated joy with ease that is very often hard to achieve.
All this might something to do with the fact that Palm Friends came about as a part of Jesse Pederssen's healing process after his brother’s death when he decided to move back from New York to Minnesota. As part of the grieving process, he called up some of his high school friends and asked if they wanted to start a band. The result was their first EP from 2019, recorded as a trio (Pederssen, along with drummer Will Burton and bassist Jon Linquist). Stennes, joined in the interim between two EPs, and it seems Palm Friends decided to recount all their influences and pack them into something completely their own. The results are quite effective and promise of even better things to come.