Monica Palmer looks at electronica as a mode of expression. With her vividly imaginative style, you can learn a lot from how she performs and understands music. With her debut single Afterwards, she kept her fans on a long wait before what she intended in her full length album. Now, you get to watch that story unfold. This is her debut, We Are All Escaping.Â
Something that looks straight out of the movie Lucy is what is experienced. Her opening single is the intro, and it gives a synth based ripple to begin with. Just to test the depth, wait for the different layers to fall in together. The vocals bleed in with the same intensity of the synths, and it all comes in as one. The flute is what takes away the high frequency, divulging a whole other mystique within. As we progress to Behind Closed Doors, you find yourself ear to ear with another effect. Dissolving into a superb style, it has an ambience that takes you on a meditative journey. When the percussion comes in, you feel like you’re in one of Trent Reznor’s creations. Monica Palmer then takes us to the soothing glass globe of For the Ride. It has a dream pop essence about it, and keeps developing like origami art. It is a superb confluence of overlaps, and prepares you for a rich experience. Vocals and synths are barely discernable after a point, the beats take over.
When I Held You the First Time comes next. It is a far more soothing, receded song with a cinematic core. Lovely chord progressions draw you closer, while being the kind of romantic expression that is devoid of lyrics. Monica Palmer uses very bare percussion elements, but still retains the impact. We organically move into Hearts, her next single. It follows the thematic line of the previous one, while having hauntingly impactful flute melodies. The vocals are in the spotlight once again, while reflecting on poetic lyrics. Her attention to detail and sound inflection is particularly incredible. You can see this in Afterwards as well. It pulsates with the climatic energy of a beautiful segue, while buzzing with character. Scars is in sequence, delving into the tempo that might be almost deductive.
As an artist, Monica Palmer is using her expression to craft something that she loves in electronica, while having her own signature palette. You’ll hear this in unique songs like Phases of the Moon, describing a melodic spearhead that keeps you rooted to the track. An epic like Lost You Again could be made by no one but Monica, and she ensures she draws you in with the magnetic power of her music. Uniform Conditions and Mommy is Sad close out this fantastic album. Monica Palmer concretizes the belief that the drama is at the core of her songwriting. What you feel flowers from several emotions, she gauges intuitively.
This would be perfect in the aforementioned Lucy or something more drama oriented like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as well. You can listen to her debut above and follow her for more brilliant music to come!