Since I first heard "It's Over" back in 2016, I've been fascinated by the London-based quartet Palace. While the fourth track from their debut drew me in, both So Long Forever and the 2019 follow-up Life After left me feeling like I was witnessing a band searching for their own sound, stuck somewhere between visions of Jeff Buckley and early Coldplay, yet headed in the right direction and only in need of just a little more time to wholly manifest themselves as a musical entity.
Shoals may not be the foursome fully realized, but it is a leap forward and easily their best LP from top to bottom. As with much of their previous work, a melancholy lingers over this 12-song set, but here it seems to cut deeper, the songs and arrangements more dialed in, a band nearly eight years into their recording career putting the pieces together into something more grand and exquisite than ever before. The January release date is likely no coincidence; Shoals is perfect for this time of year, or whenever you're feeling blue and want a moment to indulge in lament. A fine album that has grown on me with each listen, it also leaves me with nothing but optimism about the future of Palace.
![(1/2 g) Axilla [.85g]](/rails/active_storage/representations/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTU0NTYyMiwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--ff3fb563210e1299002e650651e14c3bd19dc328/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6eyJmb3JtYXQiOiJqcGciLCJyZXNpemUiOiI0NjIgeCAzMTUiLCJjb252ZXJ0Ijoid2VicCJ9LCJwdXIiOiJ2YXJpYXRpb24ifX0=--4c2b017c858149e948c71bab98eeffb13053e24c/441535667_07c17d0c-5316-4d59-a2bc-4f37bbec4de5.png "(1/2 g) Axilla [.85g]")
![(g) 91 Royale Live Resin [.5g]](/rails/active_storage/representations/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTUwNTQ1MiwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--01689cf2c98b800d4fe94a6e33d1fb948e84a642/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6eyJmb3JtYXQiOiJqcGVnIiwicmVzaXplIjoiNDYyIHggMzE1IiwiY29udmVydCI6IndlYnAifSwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--ec16dfdba4bfa2885716a685324bbb155d297de3/f3875a8c-5fd3-4966-820d-dcee0e391d23.jpeg "(g) 91 Royale Live Resin [.5g]")
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