Fake Palms is a four-piece Toronto-based lo-fi post-punk noise-pop group (begun in 2011 as a solo bedroom music project of front man Michael Le Riche) that prides itself on a natural effects-free style, sensible pop-driven vocals and righteously-heavy garage-gritty indie instrumentals from the group’s newest members (Slim Twig drummer Simone TB, Patrick Marshall of Burning Love/Nice Head and Lane Halley from Hooded Fang). With the addition of the new members (in 2015) Fake Palms is set unleash their fully-raucous self-titled debut album (which is based on demos from le Riche) via Buzz on August 28, 2015. We totally dig the EP’s stellar new poppy-hummable feedback-heavy distorted-rhythm-riffed second single “Sparkles” (which follows the group’s April career-debut track “Sun Drips”) for its finely-tuned balance between a loaded barrage of heavy-metallic-percussion-led instrumentals and le Riche’s divinely-spun poppy vocals. Apparently, Fake Palms created “Sparkles” in two very focused hours; Le Riche says it was “an experiment to see how off center we could get musically, counterbalanced with classic pop melodies… at the end of the day we’re trying to make music that you can hum along to”. Be sure to catch the new instrumentally-improved Fake Palms on tour during the late summer/early fall starting with an August 22nd start date in Montreal. Reviewed by Erin Shay.

8/22 Montreal, QC @ Bar L’Esco
8/23 Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
8/24 Brooklyn, NY @ Palisades
8/25 Baltimore, MD @ The Crown
8/26 Washington, DC @ DC9
8/27 Chapel Hill, NC @ The Cave
8/28 Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge
8/29 Nashville, TN @ The Crying Wolf
8/30 Detroit, MI @ PJ’s Lager House
9/10 Toronto, ON @ Silver Dollar
9/11 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
9/12 London, ON @ Call The Office

Fake Palms (Facebook)