Glimmering with an electric energy and soaring with sonic ripples of hazy melancholy, Palm Honey (check out their New Noise interview) are wiping their slate clean and kicking off 2017 with a brand new EP, “Tucked Into The Electronic Wave”, out on 26th January.

Maintaining their psych-pop roots with jangling guitars and ricocheting drum beats, the dreamy psych-pop crew’s shoegaze-y melodies and deep-cutting lyricism is pushing them in a deeper, more profound direction that will secure their position as the break out act of the year.

With past tracks like distortion-filled “Bones” and groovy “You Stole My Blackout” proving they have mastered an upbeat, sunny psych sound (in a similar vein to Pond), Palm Honey are now making sounds with a prominent dark undercurrent; exploring everything from neurosis to anxieties, they are going deeper than ever before. It’s not all doom and gloom though; sonically, Palm Honey’s sound is tinged with a bittersweet air, with their refracted guitar textures providing weight and the slightly-chaotic drum beats pulling all their elements into sync.

If their latest single “Stick The Knife In” is anything to go by, their new EP is a cut above anything they’ve done before. With an energy that ebbs and flows between chorus and verse, a jangling bassline that cuts through the swirling guitar riffs and relentless drum kicks, this track is Palm Honey’s best yet. We’ve got high, high hopes for “Tucked Into The Electronic Wave” and the pumped-up ride it will no doubt take us on.

Hey guys! We featured you as our New Noise last July, what have you been up to since then?

We recorded the EP during the summer, I suppose that’s the main thing. We’ve been doing a lot of writing, and recently did a small headline ‘tour’. Right now we’re very much focused on writing and rehearsing new material.

You recently released your new single “Stick the Knife In”. It’s a bit darker than your previous songs, is this more the direction that you want your sound to go?

For me, all of the songs we’ve released have had a dark undercurrent to them, lyrically anyway. “Stick the Knife In” is just less upbeat sonically. But yeah, we’re not particularly interested in doing summery pop tunes anymore – although I don’t think we’ll ever be exclusively doom and gloom.

What was the inspiration behind the song writing process?

I wrote the chords and lyrics alone, then took the track to rehearsal, not necessarily taking it too seriously or thinking it would go anywhere great. Initially, it was a song we could just fuck around with, improv with. It changed every night we played it, until eventually it found its own form. I think that’s how we like to do things now.

Your debut EP, “Tucked into the Electronic Wave”, is out on the 26th January. How are you feeling about releasing it?

Very excited! We’re all very proud of it. I don’t think our previous releases have been particularly representative of our actual sound as a band, and honestly, I’m not that into those songs anymore. The EP is something I feel really represents us, and what we want to do musically. It was heartening to see people enjoy ‘Stick the Knife In’ so much; I was genuinely worried it wouldn’t go down so well!

Can you tell us a bit about how this EP came into being?

It just felt like the right thing to do at this stage. Also, I think it was a desire to sort of wipe the slate clean, get something out there we’re genuinely really into.

There are four new tracks on it, including “Stick the Knife In”. For people who want a little teaser before listening, how would you best describe the tracks?

That’s difficult, they’re all quite different. It’s definitely pop music, but with an experimental side. There’s some noise rock in there, some synth, some psychedelia, some electronic stuff… I like to think it sounds very unique! I don’t want to pigeonhole us into a particular genre. Thematically, it’s pretty much four songs about crippling anxiety, with a healthy dose of misanthropy.

You’re heading out on tour with Sundara Karma next month. What’s your favourite bit about touring?

Getting to visit all the different Wetherspoons.

One of the dates is in your hometown of Reading. How does playing to a home crowd compare to others?

Well, people obviously know us a lot better. We always get big crowds, and just recently we did a gig at the Purple Turtle where everyone was singing along and moshing, which isn’t something we get a lot. It was very surprising, but a really good feeling!

If you could go on tour with anyone, who would it be?

Radiohead would be amazing. Deerhunter, My Bloody Valentine, Stereolab… there are a lot.

What would be your advice for up and coming bands?

Do what you want, make the music you want, and don’t listen to industry people. Ever.

What else do you have lined up for 2017?

We’ve got our EP release show at Shacklewell Arms the day after the EP comes out which should be great, then there’s the Sundara tour of course. After that, we’re hoping to space out our gigs a bit more and experiment with the whole production of our live show. We want to make it something really special and unforgettable. We’re a bit disillusioned with touring at the moment, and we want to have more involvement in every aspect of our gigs. Simultaneously, we’ll be writing and recording as much as possible. I think I say this at the end of too many interviews, but we’re not disappearing any time soon.