Palehound, alexalone, Heavy Looks

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Tonje Thilesen

A close-up of Palehound.

Palehound

$20 ($18 adv.).

media release: Palehound has unleashed the hotly anticipated, critically acclaimed new album Eye On The Bat on Polyvinyl Record Co.! A documentation of illusions shattering in the face of profound change, the expansive new collection is a sonic tangle of raw nerves coming undone amongst swelling, propulsive instrumentation. It traces the tiny details that build or break a relationship, and the flood that comes after. While El Kempner’s (they/them) sinewy and off-kilter guitar playing remains front and center and their singular poetic voice is very much still present, Kempner no longer buries the hurt in metaphor. “It’s about me, but it’s also about me in relation to others,” they say of the album. “After hiding for so long – staying inside and hiding your life and hiding yourself from the world – I was ready. I think I flipped.”

Palehound has added three new dates supporting boygenius to their North American headline tour. The headline tour will make stops in NYC, LA, Chicago, DC, Seattle, Philly and more this fall. 

Eye On The Bat is Kempner’s latest release since Black Friday (2019) and Doomin’ Sun (2021) by Bachelor (a collaborative project with Jay Som’s Melina Duterte). Recorded in brief stints across 2022 at Flying Cloud Recordings in the Catskills, they stepped up to the soundboard for the first time, co-producing the new album alongside Sam Evian (Big Thief, Cass McCombs). Kempner also credits multi-instrumentalist Larz Brogan, who they refer to as “my platonic life partner” and longtime member of Palehound since the Boston DIY days, as a vital part of making the album come together the way it did.

Eye On The Bat is the biggest – and best – Palehound has sounded on record. It is not a hopeful record in content, but it presents listeners with a reminder that – if you made it through that, you’ll handle whatever comes next.

Critical Acclaim for Eye On The Bat

"a chord progression that chugs wearily, like Wilco’s “Kamera” ... full of wry humor 

and hard-won wisdom." - The New York Times

“El Kempner of Palehound finds strength in songwriting.” - PEOPLE Magazine

"You can feel Palehound's songs in your gut" - NPR

"Love is just a punch in the gut for Palehound on this jagged rock frenzy" - NYLON

"El Kempner’s fourth album as Palehound still boasts riffs and burnt edges" - ELLE

"a triumphant, unforgettable project is set to befall upon us all this summer." - Paste

“perhaps the biggest and boldest we’ve heard of Palehound yet." - Consequence

"El Kempner has a way of balancing a sense of beauty with a haunted texture." - Uproxx

"sings about coming to terms with the evil they feel inside while playing some tense folk-rock guitar." - Rolling Stone

"a teeth-baring rocker highlighted by a punchy, super-tight solo from El Kempner  that takes the tune to another level." - Guitar World

"'a rush of satisfyingly mangled goodness" - Stereogum

"a fiery indie rock song" - THEM