It’s hard to deny that 2014 has been a resounding success for British art-pop outfit Wild Beasts, with their fourth album Present Tense and its singles all receiving critical acclaim. However, ‘Palace’ falls short when compared to previous releases like ‘Mecca’, ‘A Simple Beautiful Truth’, and even other songs on the album.
But this is in no way due to any shortcomings it may have as a song itself, the consistency of the drumbeat combined with a subdued synth section that is gradually coerced to the forefront creates a great sense of pace and layering. The vocal performance from Hayden Thorpe is flawless as his trademark whimsical voice dances over the track.
The poetic lyricism of ‘Palace’ is typical of a Wild Beasts track and Tom Fleming’s delivery of the penultimate line is a welcome feature. Wild Beasts have mastered the art of knowing when to execute each aspect of their distinct vocal repertoire and even in this fleeting instance the almost guttural delivery from Fleming really adds a conclusive tone to the song’s final moments.
The only real downfall is that with an LP as solid as Present Tense, the release of ‘Palace’ as a single feels underwhelming (but it’s still very good though).
Palace will be available on the 24th November through Domino Records. Watch the video for Palace Below:
