El Kempner, the force behind the indie rock project Palehound, has announced that their next album Eye on the Bat will be out July 14th via Polyvinyl. Along with the news comes the record’s lead single “The Clutch.”
The brilliantly-titled Eye on the Bat was recorded in the Catskill Mountains throughout 2022, and marked the first time Kempner worked on producing their own music. The album is billed as “a documentation of illusions shattering in the face of profound change,” on which the singer-songwriter examines “the tiny details that build or break a relationship, and the flood that comes after.” Pre-orders are ongoing.
“It’s about me, but it’s also about me in relation to others,” Kempner explains of the record in a statement. “After hiding for so long — staying inside and hiding your life and hiding yourself from the world — I was ready. I think I flipped.”
Perhaps as a result, “The Clutch” is perhaps the biggest and boldest we’ve heard of Palehound yet. While their previous work tended to be more subdued, this new song sees Kempner belt, shred, and headbang along with melodies akin to ’90s pop-rock greats like Veruca Salt or Throwing Muses.
Lyrically, the track seems to center around an unhealthy relationship that’s tough to leave: “I didn’t mean to hurt you/ You didn’t mean to show me how,” Kempner sings. Watch the music video for “The Clutch” below, and then keep scrolling to see the album art and tracklist for Eye on the Bat.
Kempner’s last full-length was Doomin’ Sun under the moniker Bachelor, their duo with Jay Som’s Melina Duterte. Their last album as Palehound was 2019’s Black Friday. This week, they spoke to Consequence Podcast Network’s The Spark Parade about the impact of Avril Lavigne’s Let Go.
Eye on the Bat Artwork:
Eye on the Bat Tracklist:
01. Good Sex
02. Independence Day
03. The Clutch
04. Eye on the Bat
05. U Want It U Got It
06. Route 22
07. My Evil
08. Head Like Soup
09. Right About You
10. Fadin
