[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]South Coast quartet Sad Palace make thoughtful sparkling indie-pop that’s super chilled out, and makes you want to bop a bit, AND has the occasional killer riff. It’s magical stuff. They’ve just dropped their new single ‘Frostbeat’, a track about trials and tribulations, with a video to match. Frontman Louis introduces his band.
Hey Louis, tell us about your band – who are you all and what do you do for fun?
We are four Englishmen in our mid-twenties, Matthew, Owen, Louis and Dan.
Living with each other is usually pretty fun, but we also grapple with questions of existence and human suffering, just to pass the time. That and sports.
You’ve just dropped another new single via Kissability – how did you hook up with the label?
We’ve been big fans of Kissability for a while, always loved what Jen and Transgressive do and really dig the label’s focus on the physical format. So when we recorded our first two singles last year, it seemed worth a try to send it to them and see what they thought. We were pretty bowled over to hear they liked the songs and that they wanted to make a run of cassettes. It was a beautiful day opening the box of cassettes to see our tracks in all their blue plastically goodness. Being able to work with them again on a second release with ‘Frostbeat’ was a nice affirming moment for us.
You’ve said your new single ‘Frostbeat’ is about loneliness, is that something you suffer from a lot?
Sometimes it feels like loneliness is just a healthy part of being a human being. Other times, it does feel like something is broken, but I think that is just what the loneliness wants you to think. It’s ironic that there are so many people all packed in together, but we can still feel isolated at times. As Conor Oberst sang: “I’m completely alone at a table of friends.”
I think loneliness is more a question of your ability to connect with the people around you. I guess everybody struggles with that sometimes, it’s not something that consumes me 24/7, but it is worth thinking about, I was in that insular mindset when the lyrics for ‘Frostbeat’ were written, but now I’m fine… *sobs inconsolably*
What do you most enjoy writing about, generally?
For me personally, I enjoy mostly trying to grapple with themes that are beyond love and lust, those are the ones that seem to take up 90% of songs. I still write about those things sometimes, it’s fair enough, but I quite like trying to write from the perspective of somebody dealing with their own thoughts, as if they are dissecting themselves and explaining what they are seeing. I try to take a step back from what I feel, the way a psychoanalyst would look at another person. It’s like trying to be conscious of your own unconsciousness, I find it quite therapeutic. There’s a way in which you can convey something bigger than simply what happens to you in your day to day life, which is usually pretty boring. It’s all your dreams, fantasies and private moments that hold the treasures that the poets are always trying to dig up. So I guess I’m in the same boat.
When did you realise you wanted to make music?
I remember sitting on a bench in junior school deciding between acting and music when I was about 12. That was probably the first time I consciously thought about the potential of a ‘career’ in music. It seemed to offer more freedom than acting, so that’s what I chose, although music has always been a big part of life from as early as I can remember.
Who was your first ever favourite band or pop star?
The first time I truly appreciated what a band could be, was when I properly got into the Beatles. I remember being amazed at how much ground they covered musically, and the way they all seemed so switched on, like they were really one mind shared between four people. Just the sheer creativity emanating from a bunch of mates was quite inspiring. They’ve been my favourite ever since.
What’s been the highlight of your time as a musician so far?
It’s hard to pick a single moment, but there have been times onstage where what I am doing has felt so right, like there is no better thing I could be doing. Some of the best moments for me have been when I’m writing and feel possessed by something when a new idea is forming, and you can’t get it out quick enough, you feel like a passenger to a process which is greater than what you can understand. Those moments of pure inspiration are quite rare, but they probably keep the passion alive more than anything else.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]What would you most like to achieve during your music career?
To make an album that is still appreciated in fifty years would be a nice achievement. It feels like the world is moving faster and faster, and things go in and out of fashion so quickly. So to create something that stands the test of time would probably mean quite a lot. But other than that, just to keep progressing and developing music that is as unique as possible, without losing its appeal to people. That’s a pretty solid ambition that will probably keep us a busy for a while.
How many 10/10 bangers have you guys written?
We’ve just finished a new song that I would definitely put in the 9/10 area, but it always feels weird to rate your own songs, there are probably a few songs in our catalogue that might be worthy of the term ‘banger’, but that’s for you to decide.
What are you working on right now?
Lots of new music covering a variety of styles. There is a little something in the works which is shaping up to be an eight-minute psych rock epic, kind of Stone Roses meets Faithless, that’s pretty exciting. We are also working on a music video for a tune we will be releasing in the next few months.
Finally – tell us a secret about yourself?
When I was a kid, I used to have a recurring dream in which the Spice Girls would give me a makeover. I’m not gonna lie; I loved it. But all kids have crazy imaginations, right?
Sad Palace’s new single ‘Frostbeat’ is out now.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1508405068066{margin-right: 15px !important;margin-left: 15px !important;border-top-width: 10px !important;border-right-width: 10px !important;border-bottom-width: 10px !important;border-left-width: 10px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;border-left-color: #1e73be !important;border-left-style: dashed !important;border-right-color: #1e73be !important;border-right-style: dashed !important;border-top-color: #1e73be !important;border-top-style: dashed !important;border-bottom-color: #1e73be !important;border-bottom-style: dashed !important;}”]
Factfile
Who’s in the band: Matthew, Owen, Louis, Dan
How long have you been together: We’ve known each other since college, but Sad Palace has only been a thing for about a year or so
Where are you from: Gosport, south coast of England. Or Gosvegas/Gospit depending on whether you like it here or not
What musical pigeon-hole can we shoehorn you into: Progressive dance-rock / psychfunk
What track should we embed in the space below: ‘Frostbeat'[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3bqXkZJ9zo”][/vc_column][/vc_row]