Released Today via Exploding In Sound
Reveal “Healthier Folk” Video w/ PAPER Magazine
Click Image Above To Watch “Healthier Folk” Video
National Summer Tour Continues!
“Not like the party drug, you fiends — the only Molly in this twisting, turning indie-rock dagger is a selfish type the singer doesn’t like much. Ouch!”
– Rolling Stone
“… a dynamic new artist capable of embodying wide-eyed empathy and the all-consuming yearn of youth, while still demonstrating wisdom beyond her years. The most exciting part of all: Palehound is only beginning.”
– NPR
“The way some people have a way with words, Palehound singer/songwriter Ellen Kempner has a way with a guitar: Looped lines tumble out in the knotty configurations worthy of a sailor’s handiwork, or maybe of academic writing.”
– SPIN, Album Of The Week
“Sweet with a lick of acid, Palehound has been astonishing us … with the kind of acerbic lyricism, gritty vigor and arpeggiated hooks that make her one of the most exciting new voices in indie rock”
– PAPER Magazine
“ …tense and taut but still bends with explosive interludes; the St. Vincent comparisons aren’t far off.”
– The Boston Globe
Shared a week ago via NPR First Listen, Boston’s Palehound release their highly anticipated debut album Dry Food today via Exploding In Sound. Fronted by Ellen Kempner, the 21-year-old guitarist and songwriter extraordinaire, the album has had critical acclaim across the board. Recorded by Gabe Wax (Wye Oak, Speedy Ortiz), the album highlights Kempner’s whispery alto voice and sophisticated musicianship, giving it a raw, confessional feel, even on louder, rattling tracks.
In celebration of the release of Dry Food, Palehound has revealed the new “Healthier Folk” video today. On the creative inspiration for the video, creator Faye Orlove (FvckTheMedia) shares: The song for me exemplified all the contradictions between the unhealthy things girls do to appear healthy. Tweezing and waxing and make-up and medications. I think there’s no clearer allegory for the pressures on girls to be pretty than the idea of “covering up” pimples when the best thing you can do for your skin is let it breathe. So that was sort of the idea behind the video. Showing these “beauty products” in a light that makes them look as gross as they can make you feel. I definitely don’t want it to be interpreted in a way that condemns hygiene or self-expression through make-up. It’s more supposed to shine a light on the societal pressures and sexist constructs that make girls feel like their appearance is their only value.
“Healthier Folk” video premiered with PAPER Magazine today.
We encourage you to post and share!
Photo Credit: Chad Kamenshine
Dry Food is full of sonic and emotional twist in turns. While the album chronicles a particularly rough time in Kempner’s life, it does so with verve and grit, not to mention sterling musicianship and wry lyrics. Fans will have more chances to experience Palehound’s gripping live show as they continue a national tour hitting Philly tonight + a hometown throw down Sunday night in Boston.
Dry Food is a flag-plant by a young woman with a lot on her mind and talent to burn.
National Tour Dates
^ = w/ Basement, LVL UP & Adventures
8/16: Boston, MA @ Royale ^
8/17: New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater ^
8/22: Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair (“Exploding In Sound Extended Weekend” show)
w/ Krill, Big Ups, LVL UP, and Stove
9/3: Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Mug w/ LVL Up, Eskimeaux
9/4: Annandale-On-Hudson, NY @ The Root Cellar w/ LVL Up, O Face, Pleistocene
9/5: Syracuse, NY @ Scarier Dome
9/6: Rochester, NY @ The Bug Jar
9/8: Ann Arbor, MI @ TBA
9/9: Kalamazoo, MI @ Millhouse
9/11: Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
9/17: Austin, TX @ The Parish*
9/18: Dallas, TX @ Club Dada*
9/19: Houston, TX @ House of Blues
9/20: New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa*
9/22: Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5*
9/23: Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle – Back Room*
9/24: Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel*
9/25: Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg*
9/26: Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle*
