Upcoming Releases

Ponderosa Snake House & The Chamber Of Bullshit. Now, that's an album title; clearly, Columbus, OH's Palette Knife aren't wasting a single second leaving their mark. Out May 28 from Take This To Heart Records, Ponderosa... is a dizzying experience, but one that cements its rightful place among 2021's emo breakouts.

The album's first single, "Hungover Brunch at Tiffany's," is bouncy, bright, and alert, with any tension immediately offset by curlicues of pop-punk production. Here, the band––guitarist/vocalist Alec Licata (he/him), bassist Chris Mcgrath (he/him), and drummer Aaron Queener (he/him)––trades in wooziness and wise-cracking vitality: you'd never know they'd been to hell and back hours before.

Palette Knife’s layered approach to songwriting and storytelling might begin as a shock. It’s one that flips channels between impassioned odes to thrifting dates and other cheapskate adventures, lamenting the person yourself or someone like you used to be, and relentless appeals to reason in a world that constantly moves the goalposts. For now, enjoy the kickoff.

Ponderosa Snake House & The Chamber Of Bullshit navigates the woes and wins of twenty-something Midwest life with acrobatic energy. Much of this comes from Licata’s guitar playbook that dips into everything from tapping solos to thunderous power chords, but this scholarship borrows from the past five years of emo-rock to forge something entirely its own.

With tongue-in-cheek versatility and tangible relatability, Ponderosa Snake House And The Chamber Of Bullist promises more acerbic bite with each move.