The band Palisades from New Jersey has released their latest single "Reaching Hypercritical" along with a corresponding visualizer. The single is the title track of the upcoming album "Reaching Hypercritical", which will be released on July 22 via Rise Records (Ada / Warner).
The link to the video is as follows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWknMQiwvC8
Vocalist Brandon Elgar on the release:
"Reaching Hypercritical" is based on my experiences in therapy. I learned that I and other people who struggle with anxiety have an "inner bear" within us that sometimes lures us into a trap and prevents us from going out into the world and making the most of ourselves. My therapist also told me that I have an "overcritical" thought process. This means that I inappropriately criticize myself for the smallest things. We are all our worst critics. This song is about my brain and how dangerous it can sometimes be for me."
Palisades recently released "Better", a track that deals with mental health issues, including frontman Brandon Elgar's experiences with agoraphobia, chronic anxiety, depression, and dissociative disorders. "My Consequences" was the first single from "Reaching Hypercritical", and both previous releases together have achieved over 1.1 million streams on Spotify alone and 600,000 views on YouTube.
"Reaching Hypercritical" Track Listing:
1. My Consequences
2. Reaching Hypercritical
3. Invincible (Die Down)
4. Your Misery
5. Without You
6. Better
7. Fray
8. Sick Of The Attitude
9. Fade Away
10. Sober
11. Closure
More about the album:
During the past two years of the coronavirus pandemic, awareness of the nuances of "normal" life was often lost. Trials, traumas, love, and losses were still present, even if ignored.
The band - vocalist/bassist Brandon Elgar, guitarists Xavier Adames and Matthew Marshall, and drummer Aaron Rosa - was forced to deal with everything from lineup changes to the death of loved ones while simultaneously trying to record a new album amid the most uncertain time the music industry has ever experienced.
Their efforts and struggles were not in vain. Palisades' great new album, Reaching Hypercritical, will be released on July 22 via their long-time label Rise Records. The band - whose global streams are now nearing the 300 million mark - broke into the Billboard 200 with their last album "Erase the Pain" (2018), while also reaching #1 Independent, Top New Artist, and Alternative New Artist Album. With their strongest and most ambitious album to date now available to the public, Palisades aim to further establish their status as one of the most innovative and driven artists in the rock scene and perform at festivals like Louder Than Life, Reading and Leeds, Download, and Rock am Ring.
"It was a pretty drastic musical evolution," says drummer Aaron Rosa about Reaching Hypercritical. "This album shows how the band has matured while we were brutally honest with ourselves about all the difficult moments that went through our minds during the recording. Reaching Hypercritical is a true demonstration of how the last few years have changed us as people, as a band, and what the music of Palisades stands for."
Part of this change is due to the band's recent lineup change, where frontman Lou Miceli left and vocalist/bassist Brandon Elgar stepped in as the sole singer. The change has allowed Palisades to focus on the passion, momentum, and raw talent of their new frontman, whose cathartic presence is the perfect inspiration for their heartfelt songs.
While the atmosphere within the band is currently exciting and promising, the rocky path that Palisades had to take to create Reaching Hypercritical is reflected in the serious, introspective, and often very dark perspective of the music. Mental illnesses and divorces are two heavy themes that appear on the album, while Aaron took the opportunity to speak about the death of his father on Reaching Hypercritical, who passed away during the writing of Palisades' new LP.
"Both in terms of our mental health and our career, we felt like we were reaching a hypercritical point," he says about the band's recent experiences. "You have all the uncertainties that a pandemic brings while life goes on as usual. That was the hardest thing I've ever dealt with, and we were still trying to write a record. This moment in my life and some of the traumatic experiences of the other guys in the band really shaped this record. Ultimately, it changed the entire tone of the record and the meaning of the songs."
From the raw emotions in "Fray" - which includes a heartbreaking voice message from Aaron's father - to the anthemic modern rock punch of the first single "Better", Reaching Hypercritical is infused with passion, intensity, and ambition. It is the kind of album whose songs belong on the biggest platforms, as massive choruses collide with the kind of lyrical honesty and intelligence that resonates with anyone who has experienced loss and pain.
From the depths of despair, Palisades have not only emerged with Reaching Hypercritical but have also triumphed. For Brandon, Xavier, Matthew, and Aaron, it is now about sharing this victory with others who need to be pulled from the abyss.
"I just want to show people that there is always a way to crawl out of the hole, no matter how deep you are in it," says Brandon. "With everything we've been through, we didn't know what would happen or if the band would even continue, but we stuck together and overcame those obstacles together. The goal of Reaching Hypercritical is primarily to show people that they can do it too."
