Here I am, and here it is: Dry Food, Palehound’s debut LP and the newest release by a favorite label of mine, Exploding in Sound Records. Dry Food was written and (mostly) performed by Boston’s 21 year old Ellen Kempner, and was preceded by a 7″ in 2014 and an EP a year earlier, both of which are also in the Exploding in Sound catalog. Kempner’s personality and writing ability shine in these songs, making for a digestible, solid indie/alt/whatever rock album that deals with breaking up and the very relatable feeling of drifting thereafter.
The album begins with “Molly,” a fun, almost kiddish headbanger that with its chugging bassline takes Palehound out of the bedroom and into the garage. A song detailing a selfish, maybe promiscuous antagonist, “Molly” distinguishes itself and its album from the rest of Palehound’s discography with a sincerely immature theme and a fuller, more fleshed out sound. The immaturity seems purposeful and real, a welcome quality that helps Palehound stand taller than ‘mature’ artists that often drip with pretension. The mood then sinks into Kempner’s low points on “Healthier Folk” and “Easy,” the former being a singsong admission of her unhealthy lifestyle, the latter a more somber, brooding number dealing with a spoiled romance and an almost sedentary lifestyle. “Easy” stumbles into …show more content…
The song “Dry Food” is my favorite on the album, a sigh inducing optimistic out-of-love song in 6/8 time, but the last 3 songs don’t worm themselves into my ear the same way the first 5 do. “Dixie” is very stripped down, featuring just Ellie’s doubled up voice, her acoustic guitar, and a really nice humming choir towards the end. With that said, both “Dixie” and “Cushioned Caging” feel a little repetitive, and the repeated motif just doesn’t really grab me. The album ends with “Seekonk,” a swaying, almost rambling track that picks up as it finishes, giving Dry Food a strong, optimistic
The album begins with “Molly,” a fun, almost kiddish headbanger that with its chugging bassline takes Palehound out of the bedroom and into the garage. A song detailing a selfish, maybe promiscuous antagonist, “Molly” distinguishes itself and its album from the rest of Palehound’s discography with a sincerely immature theme and a fuller, more fleshed out sound. The immaturity seems purposeful and real, a welcome quality that helps Palehound stand taller than ‘mature’ artists that often drip with pretension. The mood then sinks into Kempner’s low points on “Healthier Folk” and “Easy,” the former being a singsong admission of her unhealthy lifestyle, the latter a more somber, brooding number dealing with a spoiled romance and an almost sedentary lifestyle. “Easy” stumbles into …show more content…
The song “Dry Food” is my favorite on the album, a sigh inducing optimistic out-of-love song in 6/8 time, but the last 3 songs don’t worm themselves into my ear the same way the first 5 do. “Dixie” is very stripped down, featuring just Ellie’s doubled up voice, her acoustic guitar, and a really nice humming choir towards the end. With that said, both “Dixie” and “Cushioned Caging” feel a little repetitive, and the repeated motif just doesn’t really grab me. The album ends with “Seekonk,” a swaying, almost rambling track that picks up as it finishes, giving Dry Food a strong, optimistic