FAKE PALMS // CIVIL LIBERTIES (VIDEO) LE CANAL AUDITIF, PANIC MANUAL, INDIE 88, BROOKLYN VEGAN, KCRW

FAKE PALMS, the project helmed by Toronto-based artist Michael le Riche, is today returning with his third single “Civil Liberties” (video directed by Jordan Allen) from Lemons, set for release via Hand Drawn Dracula on September 16, 2022.

Michael le Riche called upon a veritable who’s who of Toronto indie-dom for Lemons, drawing from the ranks of Dilly Dally (Ben Reinhartz), Ducks Ltd (Evan Lewis), Sauna (Braeden Craig), and Twist (Laura Hermiston). Taking to Candle Recording studio with long-time contributor, co-producer, and engineer Josh Korody (Breeze, Beliefs), the songwriting dove headlong even further into dream-math-punk sensibilities.

The haunting “Civil Liberties” comes as another refreshing reminder of le Riche’s smart ability to meld outsider-pop with post-punk, coating his sound in this metallic, slick sheen. It summons the sounds of The Strokes circa Room On Fire, Iceage and Omni with a pummelling rhythm track tied to a tingly, soaring chorus that’s impossible to shake after first exposure. “Civil Liberties” manages the trick of sounding wistful and dystopian at the same time. “This record is the most direct thing I’ve ever done,” says Le Riche. “All the distorted guitars playing 16th-note riffs in different time signatures, washes of noise and buried vocals are basically gone. In their place we made a record that’s lean and a punch to the gut.”

PRE-ORDER: APPLE / SPOTIFY / YOUTUBE / BANDCAMP EXCLUSIVE VINYL (ed.100)
PRESS: INDIE 88, THOUGHTS WORDS ACTION, LE CANAL AUDITIF, TINNITIST, BROOKLYN VEGAN, PANIC MANUAL, WRSZW, INDIE MACHINE, NICHE MUSIC, CULTURE ADDICTS, MUSIC IS TO BLAME, SOME PARTY, CIRCUIT SWEET, KCRW