Palace’s new album Ultrasound is out, and I won’t be listening to anything else until I see them at the Showbox. As of April 5th, the album has been out, our first taste being ‘Bleach’: their lead single released on January 24th with lyrics describing a loving relationship.
The album is born of grief as lead singer, Wyndham’s partner suffered a miscarriage in the early stages of the album’s conception. All 13 songs are pure poetry exhibiting admiration of women’s strength and working towards growth and acceptance of tragedy. The second track on the album, ‘Son’, is harrowing and touching in its intimate look into a bandmate’s life of love and loss.
Moving farther down the track the mood shifts to a light song I’d imagine one would slow dance to in early hours with a loved one. ‘Inside My Chest’ is a swanky, romantic number ending with Turner’s confident hand on the guitar, winding us down in the most delicious way.
We end the album with ‘Goodnight, Farewell’, and its devastating lyrics, dynamically expressing its sadness in a stunningly self-aware way. Not shying away from its tender and raw nature Wyndham sings, “ She bore witness to a precious life” before delving into a powerful instrumental interlude, bringing to attention the heavy weight listeners become all too aware of before an almost symbolic final release. ‘Goodnight, Farewell’ wraps the album up beautifully.
Overall, I adore every song on Ultrasound but a personal favorite of mine would have to be ‘Say The Words’ with Palace’s familiar, buoyant vibe despite singing about a very sanguine topic. Their ability to process and make art of a devastating experience felt by so many in their distinct style is what I love about this band. Ultrasound can be found on all music streaming platforms and I encourage you to listen.