Listen To Palm’s “Ankles,” An Addictive Rock Song With Zero Hooks

According to legend, and a few friends who wouldn't lie, Palm is a very good live band. Listening to "Ankles"—a rhythmically perverse, melodically convoluted song from the Hudson Valley band's new album—it's not hard to imagine why. There's a definite magnetism that comes with sidestepping conventions, which Palm does a lot here, with a hypnotizing energy. The track, premiering below, is ultimately full of so many clever turns that it's tough to imagine them ever playing it the same way twice.

Guitarist Kasra Kurt suggests that at least some planning goes into making Palm's meandering rock songs, which are often free of easily digestible hooks. "We wrote 'Ankles' after recording the rest of the album," he told FADER over email. "Compositionally, it worked with some ideas that we’d been talking about a little, namely: stuttering, imperfect loops, working outside the confines of traditional rhythmic organization, and having the drums truly play lead." You can't plan for magic, though. "It wasn't worked out in advance," he added.

The band's new full-length, Trading Basics, drops November 6th via Exploding in Sound and Inflated Records. "Ankles" also appears on a limited-edition cassette comp called The Colonel Presents - Eclectic Sessions alongside tracks by Show Me The Body, Guerrilla Toss, and more.

1/06 - Brooklyn, NY @ Palisades (Album Release Show)
11/07 - Amherst, MA @ Hampshire College
11/08 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Petting Zoo
11/09 - Washington, DC @ Above the Bayou
11/10 - Richmond, VA @ The Camel
11/11 - Raleigh, NC @ Neptunes
11/12 - Columbia, SC @ Blue Tie Skateshop
11/13 - Atlanta, GA @ The Cleaners
11/14 - Tallahassee, FL @ The Wolfs Den
11/15 - New Orleans, LA @ Saturn Bar
11/16 - Lafayette, LA @ Sacred Alter
11/17 - Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas
11/18 - Denton, TX
11/20 - Nashville, TN @ Pussy Palace
11/21 - Indianapolis, IN @ Joyful Noise
11/22 - Chicago, IL @ Flood House
11/24 - Windsor, ON @ NLS
11/25 - Toronto, ON
11/27 - Montreal, QC @ Brasseire Beaubien
11/28 - Hadley, MA @ Tube Cats