Palace

London-based outfit Palace blends alternative blues-rock with an unhurried, atmospheric texture that leans inward. Their songs unfold through melodic shifts and gradual dynamics, conveying intimate feelings across a broad emotional range. While 2016’s So Long Forever carried more energy than usual for the group, a deeper sense of experimentation surfaced on 2019’s Life After; the 2022 release Shoals, composed amid band hardships, brought a polished sheen to their established style.

The quartet came together in September 2012 when vocalist-guitarist Leo Wyndham, lead guitarist Rupert Turner, bassist Will Dorey, and drummer Matt Hodges began shaping their sound inside a North London rehearsal room. They soon secured a deal with indie imprint Beatnik Creative, which put out their first collection, the five-track EP Lost in the Night, in 2014. Critics responded positively, drawing the notice of Jamie T., who asked Palace to support a large-scale London show the following year. A second EP, Chase the Light, surfaced in 2015 and received airplay from Beats 1’s Zane Lowe as well as BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens. Fiction Records, long tied to the Cure, then signed the band and reissued Chase the Light while Palace prepared their debut full-length.

Adam Jaffery, previously linked to Mount Kimbie and Django Django, produced So Long Forever, which achieved strong commercial results and prompted repeated U.K. tours. Palace’s second album, Life After, arrived in July 2019 after Will Dorey had left to pursue solo work under the name Skinshape, leaving session players to handle bass duties. The record resonated with listeners and elevated the group to headline status across the U.K., yet the COVID-19 pandemic halted live performances worldwide; Leo Wyndham, who tested positive during lockdown, wrestled with anxiety and uncertainty. He eventually channeled those experiences into new material that became Shoals, released in January 2022. The ensuing tour took Palace into larger venues than ever before, and in 2023 they issued a three-song EP containing “All We’ve Ever Wanted,” “How Far We’ve Come,” and “When Everything Was Lost.” That set preceded their most extensive U.S. run to date—eighteen dates spanning May and June 2023.