photo courtesy of DRPR

Single Review of The Palms: “Ready or Not”

The Palms are indie rock duo Johnny Zambetti and Ben Rothbard. “Ready or Not” is the second single from the band’s upcoming Wonderland album.

The song is a light, airy, strumming number that brings to mind carefree summer days. It’s a song you might blare from your convertible while cruising the streets on a nice summer night. Or during a day at the beach. The vocals are lo-fi and grainy, even a little tinny, as is the guitar, which keeps things moving with its steady rhythm, punching up the forcefulness on every fourth beat. Yeah, the lyrics are about “the shit that’s goin’ down,” but the vibe is so groovy, how can you worry? And there’s the occasional “oo-oo” in the background that helps facilitate the unserious feel.

“Ready or Not” is a cool song with potential appeal if you like the poppier, more laid-back side of indie rock. Or if you simply like a well-written song with a catchy groove.

More Recently

“Ready or Not” was a November 10th release. Since then, from early January until the beginning of March, The Palms were on a nationwide tour supporting the Magic City Hippies. On the song-release front, the Palms have released three more singles: “Pretenders” on December 15th, “Maggie’s Garden” on January 26th, and “Jesse Jane” on February 23rd. These songs consolidate The Palms’ grainy, catchy alt-rock style, though each has its own character. For example, “Jesse Jane” showcases some dream-pop influences that aren’t as readily apparent on the other tracks – well, maybe a little on “Pretenders,” but not as obviously. In other words, there’s some variety among The Palms’ song catalog, and that’s always a good thing.

Looking Ahead

The Palms’ plan to release Wonderland, a full-length album that will include “Ready or Not,” on April 5th. An album release party is scheduled for Aviator Nation Dreamland in Malibu, CA on April 6th. The Palms don’t have any other tour dates planned, but when they do, you’ll be able to find them here on the “Tour” page of the band’s website.