Palehound - Black Friday [180g Black Cherry Color Vinyl Record]

The third full-length from Boston-based trio Palehound is a subtle exploration of all the forms that love can take: the love between friends, respect for people no longer in your life, love in the face of self-hate, love that endures through significant life changes or many tiny catastrophes. With her thoughtful narrative voice, Palehound singer/songwriter Ellen Kempner imbues each song with a radical sensitivity, an unchecked depth of feeling that ultimately sparks a greater open-heartedness within the listener. Co-produced with Gabe Wax (Beirut, Soccer Mommy), Black Friday follows 2017's acclaimed A Place I'll Always Go. In creating the album, Kempner and her bandmates Jesse Weiss (drums) and Larz Brogan (bass) recorded at Panoramic House in Stinson Beach, CA, tracking most of the songs live and breathing new vitality into Palehound's elegantly detailed sound.

Unrestrained in emotion but subtle in a sonic flourish, Black Friday opens with the stripped-back intensity of "Company," the first of many songs conveying a profound longing for a lost friend. From there, Palehound shift into the joyful wonder of "Aaron," a song Kempner wrote for her partner amid his transitioning process. Palehound examines the intricacies of friendship and partnership throughout Black Friday, handling the subject with a level of attention rarely found in pop songs. On the quietly hypnotic title track, Kempner captures the specific ache of uneven emotional investment between friends, framing her plaintive acceptance in particularly barbed lyrics. And on "Worthy," Palehound speak to the challenge of navigating self-confidence issues in relationships, and delicately showcase Kempner's lyrical finesse.

While much of Black Friday unfolds with palpable compassion, "Killer" takes on a vengeful mood as Kempner recounts a fantasy of doing away with a friend's abuser. On the following track, Palehound continues their contemplation of abuse with "Where We Live" – a striking piece of spoken word from New York City-based poet Melissa Lozada- Oliva; its gritty yet dreamlike storytelling set against Kempner's sprawling guitar work.

1. Company
2. Aaron
3. Black Friday
4. Worthy
5. Killer
6. Where We Live
7. Bullshit
8. Sneakers
9. Urban Drip
10. Stick N Poke
11. The City
12. In Town