Palette Knife’s ‘Keyframe‘ is a caffeinated blast of Midwest emo that refuses to sit still, blending dizzying guitar taps with the kind of frantic energy usually reserved for a toddler who just discovered sugar. It’s polished, punchy, and unashamedly extremely online, making it the perfect soundtrack for anyone whose personality is 40% nostalgia and 60% existential despair. Listening to it feels like being high-fived by a cloud while falling down a flight of stairs, confusing, rhythmic, and strangely uplifting.
Three tracks on this record demand a permanent spot in your “shouting in the car” playlist. First up is “Phoenix Down,” a high-energy opener that starts with a massive wall of sound before breaking into a flurry of catchy hooks. Then there’s “Faultsiphon,” which showcases the band’s tightening songwriting skills and delivers an absolute banger of a melody that’s impossible to ignore. Finally, “Sleep Paralysis” serves as a standout anthem for the record, balancing mathy chaos with an undeniable groove that will have you nodding along instantly.
Overall, ‘Keyframe‘ is a massive step forward that proves Palette Knife isn’t just playing around with pedals and puns, they’re crafting some of the most vibrant emo-pop in the game. It manages to be technically impressive without being “math-class” boring, and emotional without being a total bummer. It’s bright, it’s loud, and it’s arguably the best thing to come out of a basement since the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. If this album doesn’t make you want to start a band or at least buy a very colorful windbreaker, you might want to check your pulse.
Links of interest:
https://www.instagram.com/paletteknifeband
https://paletteknife.bandcamp.com/album/keyframe