Palace

Let’s start with something simple: where does the name Palace come from? Palace was a name given to us by my brother Wilm. He suggested it as a joke but it somehow worked. He’s also the man who does all our artwork AND he used to play bass for us, very talented fellow.

The new tour: who are you touring with and do you get to choose? (Bonus questions: who would be your dream support act and who would you most like to support?) Well we haven’t toured for a while as we’ve been recording our album non-stop, but we’re gonna be getting out there very soon which’ll be super good. We love touring and have been lucky enough to tour with people like Jamie T and Ghostpoet - two very different acts to us but it totally worked. Wow, if we could support anyone it’d probably be either Tame Impala, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizzard, Foals or The Maccabees. We’re on the same label as The Maccabees so we’re praying someone hooks us up!

NEW ALBUM! How are you feeling about the release? Feeling pretty jazzed about it really. We’re proud as punch just the fact that we’ve been able to make an album; it’s what we all dreamed of as kids. It’s funny though because when you’ve been around the same songs in a tiny studio for three months you very much lose sight of things and get quite sick of the tunes. So at this moment in time we’re avoiding listening to it as much as possible as we’ve heard it all twenty million times. It does sound really amazing though.

What does the album title So Long Forever mean to you? So Long Forever sums our collection of album songs up super nicely, as a lot of the album looks at loss and how we deal with that, whether its a relationship breakup or losing a loved one or in any form. So Long Forever makes me think of a kind of parting of something special, but acceptance in the fact that it’s done and beyond and there’s nothing you can do. It’s a kind of beautiful farewell.

Can you review your new album in five words? Sexy, Magic, Arousing, Good, Fabulous.

What are you most excited about regarding the new record coming out? I think just the fact that we’ll be able to hold in our hands the collection of all our efforts over the past three years. It feels like it’ll be quite an emotional moment, all building up to that. We just can’t wait to hold the vinyl and see the album artwork, I’m sure we’ll feel incredibly proud. Lots of hugging and weeping. Musically as well we’re just so excited for people to hear it, it’s distinctly our sound but BIGGER and more epic and widescreen.

Is the process different creating an LP as opposed to an EP? 
Just in the fact that it takes a way longer time and you go a little bit more mad in the process. We slightly lost our minds at times, it’s a very hard process and our producer Adam did a great job in steering the ship but there are naturally just times where you lose the plot a bit. Part of our souls are left in that studio along with loads of tears and a bit of blood…

With new releases, how important is the critical feedback compared to the fans’ response? We try and not care too much what the critics think, what we care about really is the fans’ response. The people who’ve been there from the start. Saying that a brutal review will probably make us cry.

What comes first, the artwork or the music? Oh the music of course! That would be insane to do the artwork first. The music has to inform the aesthetic of the band. And with my brother’s artwork it just really fitted our sound beautifully, it’s quite psychedelic and grand like our music is.

You already have a big following on social media etc, have you had to make a conscious effort to up your online presence to keep in touch with or gain more fans?
 I suppose you have to play the game to an extent with the social media generation. It doesn’t hugely come natural to us, so we have to get the occasional kick up the arse from our label and manager. But it is really beautiful to read messages from people online, really heartfelt stuff from all round the world. Some people have said our music has got them through tough times, and that’s pretty damn humbling to hear. Crazy really.

As an indie group, do you aim to crack the charts when writing your music? No. I think that would be dangerous to write to please other people. Our rule is to write music that we would want to hear - I think as soon as you start writing to get a ‘hit’ that’s death really. It suddenly becomes totally false and fake; it’s really important your music comes from an honest place.

You guys have been chosen by many as a group that’s going to achieve big things, what advice do you have for bands like yourself who are trying to make it? 

I think try and write honest music, about something that’s real to you. I think if you do that you’re on the right track. Also have fun, as soon as you take the fun out of playing then you’re fucked. Plus don’t smoke crack.

What artist does everyone need to go listen to right now? The Growlers are my new favourite band although they’ve been around for a while. Derka Blues by them is on repeat at the minute. We also dig King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard. We’re playing before them at Reading and Leeds on the same stage, so we’re gonna try and mob them. Our friends Franc Moody, Beach Baby and Babeheaven are also gonna do big things.  Check them all out.