One of the freshest bands out of Melbourne (via Darwin) has to be Palmerslum. Since their arrival in Melbourne, and the release of their first EP back in 2015, this band has continued to make waves, and now those waves have turned into something gigantic with the release of their follow-up, the Bloodhounds EP.
These five tracks show that Palmerslum is something special, and it further proves that this is a band that has carved out a unique sound that is going to be lapped up by those who love the bands of the 1990s and early 2000s.
When listening to the opening track, “Bus Stop”, you instantly start feeling that these guys are a meld of Regurgitator and Nirvana – an unlikely pairing, I know, but somehow, that is what Palmerslum’s sound conjures up. It has that free-wheeling rock sound of ‘The Gurge’, but then when Chris Cleveland lets his vocals do their own thing, the sounds of Kurt Cobain on From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah is there for all to hear.
“Drainer” sees Palmerslum deliver some powerfully catchy punk, while the slow opening to “Satan’s Pool” allows the band to show off their lyric-writing ability and all before the track ends up turning into some brilliant grunge sounds that we haven’t heard since the 1990s. “McAdam” is the fastest track on the album but still remains as catchy punk, while the closing track “iPhone” again brings back memories of Regurgitator but sees their band add their own edge to it as well.
Bloodhounds is a brilliant little EP that reveals Palmerslum to be a band that you just want to check out live… and let’s hope they have a full-length album around the corner very, very soon because I want some more of this!!!
