Palisades – Mind Games
Review by Jennifer Boylen
Palisades released their debut in 2013. The New Jersey outfit has followed that by ringing in 2015 with Mind Games and are far from the sophomore slump. The entire record is relatively ambiguous genre-wise, which at first may take listeners by surprise, but Palisades manages to blend hardcore breakdowns, EDM styling, soulful vocals, and poppy melodies flawlessly.
Not only is Mind Games a melting pot of genre’s but also of supplemental features and pop culture references. From sampling (including sounds from Cher Loyd’s “Want U Back”), the iTunes screen inspired cover art, a nod to Netflix (“Come Over and Watch Netflix”) and inclusions from artists such as Blackbear, Champs, and Garrett Rapp of The Color Morale, Palisades has covered all their bases to appeal to a wide audience across all musical preferences.
On paper, the whole premise of Mind Games, and the bands style seems very strange. At first, the idea of hardcore meets EDM sounds far-reaching. However, track after track I found myself growing fonder and fonder of the 10-song compilation. Of course, sometimes the over saturation of styles feels a bit in genuine, such as the intro to “Whatever You Want It To Be” but the soaring chorus makes up for the over used, mainstream samples at the start of the track. The stand outs on this record were opening track, “Player Hater’s Ball” (featuring Blackbear), “No Chaser” and of course the title track. “Mind Games” (featuring Champs) perfectly represents what this record has to offer. From grinding beats and hard core breakdowns matched perfectly with silky vocals and a rap guest spot, this track is definitely deserving of its title.
While some of the tracks try to do too much and others are not as musically diverse at the rest of the record, from start to finish Mind Games is relatively cohesive. Palisades took risks and created a body of work that sets them above their colleagues as a band.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Recommended Tracks: “Player Hater’s Ball”, “No Chaser,” and “Mind Games”
