Now Hear This: Palm Reader's Andy Gillan On The Best New Prog-Metal, Post-Punk And Emo

Hello all! I’ll be honest, I’m a big old ball of fucking stress right now, because our new album is out soon and we’ve got deadlines to meet! Thankfully, things are looking okay – the music is done, it’s just putting everything else in place. Anyway, I’m excited to be sharing some new bands with you, and I’ve picked five that I reckon you’re going to love…

We got lumped into a van with Cryptodira on a European tour we did with Rolo Tomassi, and it was the most fun we’ve ever had on the road. They really showed us up for not being in the same league of musicianship as them – they’re frighteningly good. They’ve got a new record called The Angel Of History coming out soon, which everyone should listen to. If you like Between The Buried And Me and Car Bomb, you’ll dig this band. Their vocalist, Mike Monaco, sings like a fucking troll (in a good way), and it gives the music a grindcore vibe without it actually being grindcore.

These guys just dropped a new album back in June called Teach Yourself To Swim. They’re from the Guildford area, same as us, so we played with them early on. The new record really fills the hole that Brand New left. The guys in Wallflower are awesome dudes and amazing live, and the music is really textural without being overly complicated. A sick band, without a doubt, and one that fans of Turnover will love.

The members of Haggard Cat are our best friends. They’ve been really unlucky this year, because they put out their record Common Sense Holiday, played three shows to promote it, and then COVID happened which really stunted their momentum. They rehearse in the same building as us at least four times a week, and they’re writing constantly – there’s always something new up their sleeve. Their latest album is fucking wicked, and it’s a real shame no-one is going to get to hear it live. They used to be in the band HECK – formerly known as Baby Godzilla – that we toured with back in 2012, so we’ve known these guys for years. Haggard Cat are a special band.

This band has a few records out now, but their profile isn’t so high outside of The States – I only found out about them last year. I’ve got a real thing for bands like Young Widows and Daughters where the vocals sound really sincere, and Bambara have that, which they pair with this dark brand of rock and roll. Their latest album, Stray, came out earlier this year, and it’s a really moody record which creates a real sense of romanticised misery. That makes them sound like The Smiths, but they’re not; this is music that’s got the vibe of ‘I’ve done heroin and now I feel really sad.’ It’s a fucking great album, and another which has been impacted by the pandemic.

When Deafheaven did their album Sunbather and brought that melodic, dreamscape vibe to black metal I fell head over heels in love with it, and I feel like MØL have really picked up from where that record left off, only in a bigger, more aggressive way. They remind me of Devil Sold His Soul, and their album JORD, which came out in 2018, really levelled up on Sunbather. I saw them at 2000trees last year and everyone was just stood there in awe of the sound coming off the stage. MØL are an incredible band, and I believe they’re set to record again soon, so I’m stoked to see what they come up with next.

Palm Reader’s new album Sleepless is out November 27 via Church Road.

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