Burnt Palms

Burnt Palms formed in Seaside, California as an indie pop trio whose wistful, innocent songs about crushes and heartbreak evoke the '90s twee sound of Tiger Trap and Heavenly while offering a fresh take on that familiar sugary yet spiky approach. Guitarist/vocalist Christina Riley, drummer/vocalist Clara Nieto, and bassist Brian Dela Cruz launched the band, and their self-titled, self-released debut appeared in September 2012. Gary Olson of the Ladybug Transistor engineered the ten brief, poignant, mostly midtempo fuzz-pop tracks, which also featured guest bassist Paul Towber. The band built its audience through live dates alongside Cheap Time, Kids on a Crime Spree, Colleen Green, and similar acts, while placing songs on several online compilations. In February 2014, British imprint Very Gun Records issued a split cassette EP pairing Burnt Palms with Gurr. The group next headed to Marlborough Farms in Brooklyn to cut its second album with Olson once more. Issued in May on We Were Never Being Boring, The Girl You Knew retained the debut's songwriting sensibility yet delivered a richer overall sound thanks to Olson's backing vocals and Kyle Forester's organ parts. Additional California shows followed, along with a split cassette EP alongside Love Cuts on Lost Sound Tapes. In 2015, guitarist Joshua Vazquez joined to make the band a quartet, and they returned to Olson for their third album. We Were Never Being Boring released Back on My Wall in February 2016, marking another step forward through quicker tempos, additional backup vocals, and even catchier material.