Hear New Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 8 Tracks From Thrash Palace (Feat. EMA, Vice Cooler, & Sarah Register), Turkish Artist Gaye Su Akyol, And A Collaborative Single By Jessica Winter & Clipping’s Jonathan Snipes
Wed, Aug 16, 2023 at 7:00 AM
Thrash Palace
Introducing Thrash Palace: A Sonic Adventure in Improvisation
The Thrash Palace story begins in the fall of 2022, when guitarist Sarah Register, celebrated for her work with avant-rock band Talk Normal, Kim Gordon, and UK-based trio Better Corners, sought a collaborative outlet for her production, soundscapes, and evolving vocals. She found a kindred spirit in LA-based producer and XBXRX member Vice Cooler, known for work with Kim Gordon, Peaches, Louisahhh, AH-MER-AH-SU and Ladytron, and as a solo artist. United by their roots in the noisy end of DIY music, they embarked on an impulsive, improvisatory exploration infused with modern pop sensibilities.
The project blossomed into a powerful trio when Sarah invited former bandmate EMA (Erika M. Anderson, also of Gowns, Amps for Christ) to join them at Vice’s studio. The result was a 48-hour recording session in which Thrash Palace was born. Register, Cooler, and Anderson, with their shared histories in American underground music as fuel, found creative harmony – and sonic discord! – through improvisation and experimentation. Free from the confines of a traditional band, they quickly crafted a set of captivating and brash of-the-moment earworms.
Two of those songs form Thrash Palace’s debut single, out now on Sub Pop. On the anthemic “Go,” Anderson’s growling voice rides alongside Register’s barnstorming guitar and Cooler’s stadium-ready drums, pounding out an urgent heartbeat. On the flipside, “Teenage Spaceship” twists and turns as Anderson and Register give voice to two narratives, expressed directly to and through the heart, while the music forms a third voice in a language of its own. Taken together, the spontaneous lyrics, distorted and repurposed voices, primal rhythms, melody, chaos, and mesmerizing soundscapes of these two songs offer a tantalizing taste of what’s to come from the trio.
Embodying and expressing the values and experiences of Register, Cooler, and Anderson, Thrash Palace is a celebration of the moment, an exhilarating musical game in which each member builds upon the others’ impulses, and three multifaceted artists revel in one another’s talents. Most of all, Thrash Palace is a cathartic and joyous leap forward in the pursuit of sonic freedom.