Maya Georgi
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Palehound Tonje Thilesen* Palehound is back — and wittier than ever. The indie star, whose real name is El Kempner, has announced their fifth album, sardonically titled You Sing Like You’re Joking. Set for release on February 5 via Polyvinyl, the project marks Kempner’s first full-length album in nearly four years following 2023’s Eye on the Bat.
Kempner has shared their first single in two years, “Natural Disasters” alongside the album announcement. The relentless folk tracks starts soft as Kempner strums on an electric six-string until they put their fretwork on full display for a raw-edged solo that matches the frustration of losing a friend. “Natural disasters are closing in on us / And you’re still holding a fucking grudge,” Kempner sings on the chorus. “I was like, ‘Damn, the future is pretty doomy right now. Why can’t we just get over it and get through this together?'” Kempner said of their thought process behind the song.
In the accompanying video for “Natural Disasters,” Kempner leans into the theme of how futile fighting feels amidst climate catastrophes when they sport a nuclear mask as they strum on an axe-shaped white and black guitar. The visual was directed by Water From Your Eyes’ vocalist Rachel Brown, and even shot in the middle of a nor’easter.
“I’ve been a huge fan of Palehound since the first record, so when El asked me to collaborate on a video, I was so honored. My main focus was to capture the idea of friendship and love as a memory,” Brown said in a statement. “We planned the shoot before the forecast started talking about the nor’easter, but I figured that the weather was on theme, so we continued to shoot even with governmental warnings. Strangely enough, the weather was perfectly fine pretty much all day,” she added.
‘You Sing Like You’re Joking’ album artwork You Sing Like You’re Joking was co-produced by Kempner alongside Julian Fader and Katie Von Schleicher, and features contributions from Nick Hakim. The album will also highlight the singer-songwriter’s guitar prowess on the bass, rather than their signature Stratocaster. Across nine tracks, Kempner will explore the fluctuating nature of relationships and their community in the DIY music space, which was recently highlighted at Palehound’s sold out ‘You’re Joking!’ residency in support of the Immigrant Defense Project.
