Monday, October 29, 2018

“Palms” by Sinclair – A Song Feature

     “Palms” is a barnburner. We had to research the term before becoming comfortable with applying it to a song we hope to see explode. As used today, a barnburner is an event that builds in excitement and intensity. “Palms” begins with a gentle, clean guitars supporting the vocals of Olivia Weston. There is a tenderness in her description of a passionate relationship. Sinclair does not include a cello player, but the song has a touch of the instrument’s unparalleled ability to reflect an emotional seriousness (at 0:38). As the track progresses, the intensities of the instruments and the vocals surge. Tender is no longer an appropriate description; “Palms” turns blazingly powerful.

     The lyrics of “Palms” are flush with imagery of the angst around being in a relationship with someone who “dominates my being.” The percussion, guitars and vocals combine to pull the listener into the passion. The song is ideal as the final song in a performance setlist. Sinclair identifies its influences as three bands we hold in high regard - Nothing But Thieves, Wolf Alice and The Joy Formidable. But our comparison of “Palms” is to Evanescence, when the band was at its peak and could leave gig-goers holding their ground at the end of a concert, knowing that the show was over, but slightly stunned by what they witnessed.

      Sinclair is based in Bristol, UK. The members are Olivia Weston (vocals), Jordan Round (guitar), Rafael Sinclair-Martins (bass), and Jonathan Snape (drums). The band is with Bristol’s Hubb Records.

     At least today, “Palms” is the only song of Sinclair on Soundcloud and Spotify. It’s times like this that brings a yearning for a stock-market equivalent that enables stock purchases in a band with all the ingredients to be disruptive in the marketplace.

      “Palms” by Sinclair


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