This story is featured in CityBeat’s March 6 print edition.
Palm Ghosts are a curious case. What began in 2013 as the solo project of Joseph Lekkas has morphed into a full band effort with rotating members and collaborators moving in and out over the last decade. Lekkas is the lone constant, handling songwriting duties and lead vocals, among other instruments, which makes Palm Ghosts’ radical sonic evolution somewhat of a surprise. What started as a largely straightforward singer/songwriter project marked by languid folk-pop (see 2014’s self-titled debut) has evolved into a moody shoegaze (minus the distortion) outfit rife with driving rhythms, atmospheric keyboards and angular guitars (see the provocatively titled latest effort, 2023’s I Love You, Burn in Hell).
There are five other full-length records and four EPs between the aforementioned tent-pole releases, which makes Palm Ghosts one of the busiest entities — both in the recording studio and on the touring circuit — amid the current landscape. And they aren’t about to slow down, as this Feb. 21 post from the band’s Facebook page attests: “Starting a month from now, we will begin releasing a series of songs, one at a time, every 2 weeks, that will end up populating 4 EPs and ultimately a double LP by the end of the year.”
If recent Palm Ghosts’ trends hold true, expect Joy Division, Gang of Four and The Cure as obvious touchstones, as well as a host of other less recognizable influences from the era like Japan and The Blue Nile. There’s also a dollop of 1980s pop in the mix, something Lekkas doesn’t necessarily hear.
“It’s funny because the collection of records I have is mostly post-punk and new wave,” he said in a 2021 interview with The Big Takeover. “My favorite band is the Velvet Underground, which is not the ’80s. No. 2 is probably The Beatles, which is not the ’80s. I don’t know that the culture of the ’80s is huge (for me), although I do like John Hughes movies.”
Palm Ghosts play MOTR Pub on March 15 at 9:30 p.m. Info: motrpub.com.
This article appears in Feb 21 – Mar 5, 2024.
