Palisades are a post hardcore band formed in New Jersey who infuse EDM influences into their tracks, similar to other bands such as I See Stars and Asking Alexandria. This has helped them gain a loyal fanbase, as they have toured with Like Moths to Falmes, Crown the Empire, and The Word Alive, furthermore demonstrated by their energetic live shows. The bands’ debut album Outcasts, released in May 2013, demonstrated an indication of electronic instruments, with tracks including the energetic and infectious ‘High and Low’ demonstrating what they were capable of. Building on this, in January they released their second album Mind Games on Rise Records. I thought it would be interesting to see how their sound has developed over the past two years.
The album opens up with ‘Player Haters’ Ball’ featuring the R&B artist blackbear. Featuring a downtuned bouncy breakdown mixed with upbeat synths, it sets the tone for the album, and is about proving people wrong who put the protagonist down. It feels motivational because it shows that anyone can bounce back from a hard knock, this is enhanced in the chorus “Why waste your breath, why waste your words / They mean nothing to me”. Up next, ‘No Chaser’ is really catchy, and discusses a night in a club where the protagonist loses his inhibitions when talking to a girl, due to being intoxicated. The production is polished and clean, an example being singer Louis Miceli and guitarist Xavier Adames’ harmonies in the chorus. This works exceptionally well and demonstrates the direction the band are taking.
The party theme of the album continues with ‘Bad Girls’, featuring samples from both ‘Slip’ by Baauer, and ‘Want U Back’ by Cher Lloyd. Both these samples are set to a bouncy upbeat nu-metal backdrop and work well; the relentless chugging during the breakdown towards the end of the track is a mood-raiser. It transitions straight into the title track, containing creative overlapping synths from DJ and programmer Earl Halasan. The track additionally features a cameo from rapper Champs, who sounds remarkably like Pitbull, giving a fresh approach to Palisades’ sound. Although the breakdown is slightly repetitive, at the same time it shows their ability to write a catchy track.
‘Afraid’ tones things down slightly with yet more strong harmonies, additionally bringing out Brandon Sidney’s bass guitar, providing a meaty chunky riff. It sounds as if it will be a singalong anthem at live shows, before the tone is brought right back up with the double onslaught of ‘Like A Drug’ and ‘True Blood’. The former track compares a relationship to a drug addiction, with Miceli stating that although he wants to be free of the relationship, he is pulled back: “Maybe if I close my eyes/ It’ll bring me back when we were more alive”. The breakdowns make the track suitable for a moshpit. The latter track also captures this feeling nicely, however is backed by a strong melody and singalong chorus, while lyrically demonstrating frustration from the protagonist constantly being put down in a relationship “All you did was doubt, so whatcha say gotta say it now/ The cards were stacked but I knocked them down”, and you can feel the aggression in Miceli’s screaming. Perhaps this could have been the last track on the album because although ‘Come Over and Watch Netflix’ shows versatility and sounds like a club track, whilst it’s not bad, it brings down the mood slightly.
Nevertheless, Mind Games is a strong album and shows Palisades are crafting their own sound by blending a mix of eclectic pop synthesisers with crushing breakdowns, demonstrating that there is something for everyone and will win them more fans in the process.
Words by Ermis Madikopoulos