Q&A: The Palms Return with an ode to California 'Wonderland'
CALIFORNIA-BASED DUO The Palms are back with a love letter to their home state, Wonderland. This self-produced record marks their first full-length album since 2020 and signifies a return to their roots, both thematically and sonically.
In our interview, Johnny Zambetti and Ben Rothbard discuss the inspiration behind the album, drawing on the rich musical history of Los Angeles and the influence of classic artists like Fleetwood Mac and Gram Parsons. They delve into the album's recurring theme of redemption, reflecting on their own "David vs Goliath" journey in the music industry.
We also explore the creative process behind Wonderland, with The Palms taking the reins on writing, recording, and mixing the entire album. They discuss the challenges and rewards of complete creative control, along with their upcoming nationwide tour that promises to bring the new songs to life.
LUNA: Wonderland feels like a love letter to California. Can you talk about the specific aspects of the state that inspired the album?
JOHNNY: I think being that Ben and I are both born and raised in LA gives us a unique perspective in our songwriting, allowing us to dive into our shared experiences which are based in and around California. For this album in particular, we really wanted to tap into the sonic history of Los Angeles that was super influential to us growing up; Fleetwood Mac, CSNY, Gram Parsons, etc. We focused more on harmonies, acoustic based instruments, and storytelling songwriting outside of just our personal life experiences.
LUNA: How does this album differ thematically from your previous work?
BEN: When we formed The Palms, one of the most exciting aspects of it was the freedom to move away from the folky, blues/rock/country sound we’d been accustomed to in our previous band and dive head first into exploring other genres that we love such as hip-hop and R&B. In a way, Wonderland is a voyage back to our roots, married with everything we’ve learned and discovered along our journey as The Palms. We started writing for Wonderland as far back as 2021, after we’d spent quite a bit of time away from each other due to the pandemic. Coincidentally, we’d both been listening to a lot of those 70’s Laurel Canyon country infused artists like Gram Parsons, Fleetwood Mac, The Byrds, Neil Young, etc. More or less the music we’d grown up on and the songs just started pouring out of us. Everything about the creation of Wonderland felt very organic.
LUNA: The concept of redemption is a recurring motif in your music. How does it manifest itself on Wonderland, especially considering your "David vs Goliath" journey?
JOHNNY: We’ve been playing professionally now for 10+ years and with that comes the inevitable meeting with the dark side of a very broken music industry. From being signed and dropped, sued, served papers walking on stage at a show, etc. — our story reads like an episode of Vh1 Behind The Music before we’ve even made it lol. Our music has always been a diary of our lives and where we’re at in that moment. We could’ve given up many times but we always got back on our feet and kept pushing forward with the music being our saving grace. You can hear that clearly in "Push Off," "Human Condition," "Satellites" — and from Wonderland, songs like "Pretenders," "Ready or Not" and "Phases" are the most obvious. But we encourage you to dive deeper and see what you find :)
LUNA: The final track, "Phases," is described as a resolution. How does it bring closure to the album's narrative?
BEN: I feel like Johnny and I both saw "Phases" as the final track without ever really discussing it. While much of the album is inspired by the different obstacles and situations that life brings forth on a daily basis, "Phases" is like the reasoning voice in my head telling me to just chill and realize that this too shall pass. As we zoom out from our little bubbles and continue to zoom out, looking down at it all from millions of miles away, I realize how small and insignificant we truly are in the grand scheme of things. At least for me, It allows me to calm down and not take things too seriously.
LUNA: Wonderland is your first full-length album since 2020. What has changed creatively for The Palms in that time?
JOHNNY: Besides writing, recording and producing all of our own music since day one, we also chose to mix this album which is a feat unto itself, but gave us full control sonically. We also made a concerted effort to focus on the instrumentation that reminded us of our roots.
LUNA: Self-producing Wonderland must have been a rewarding experience. Can you tell us about the challenges and benefits of taking on that role?
THE PALMS: We actually engineered, produced and mixed Wonderland. I would say that the most rewarding part of that is being afforded the time and freedom to explore whatever it is that we’re after. I also believe that as independent artists in 2024, it is almost essential that you’re able to run the ship from start to finish and the only way to learn the process is to swan dive right in. We honestly had no idea what we were doing when this project started, but over time have created a system that we can be proud of. The biggest challenge by far is not having an outside set of ears to bounce ideas off of. The studio can become a vortex and it’s easy to get lost when you’ve been immersed in something for days on days. Out of necessity, we’ve had to create our own methods of removing ourselves from the bubble and attempting to listen and experience whatever it is we’re working on through a different lens.
LUNA: Looking beyond Wonderland, what are The Palms most excited about for the future?
JOHNNY: Having started writing for this album two years ago, it’s great to finally get it out! Beyond this, we have a nationwide headlining tour starting in July that will be really fun as we get to bring these new songs to the stage. Keep an eye out for those dates :)
