REVIEW: Palette Knife's "New Game+" via Take This to Heart

The backlog is pretty deep, this album came out all the way back in January, but this was a recommendation from a friend back home and I really wanted to make sure I got to it. The Ohio emo scene is really booming lately, and this is another really good addition to the canon.

First thing I want to point out is that it’s very Real Emo (™) to be as sad as this vocalist is and try to sell it as being totally fine. “Jelly Boi” is an especially compelling song as absolutely nothing goes right in this individual’s life, and he really tries to sell it as something cheerful and fun. At that though they don’t always fake that through the delivery until a joyous tone shift that keeps the exact same lyricism. I also enjoy how the album tells a coherent narrative of this depressive wave, even if I don’t quite think it sticks much of a landing it does always paint a vivid image of what’s going on.


This is probably a silly criticism, but I don’t really buy the video game OST theme. The intro having those backing vocals makes it feel like just the intro to an emo album, which I wouldn’t bring up if “Pause Screen” didn’t work so well for me. The abrupt transition and the drowned-out production make it work wonderfully. Other than that, I don’t have much to say on Palette Knife other than they’re good at being sad, they’re good at playing their riffs, see “Letters from Momtown.” And overall, I think New Game+ is a fine little record that I overlooked way early in the year.

I liked this record

Favorite tracks:
  1. Death Screen
  2. Jelly Boi
  3. Avatar the Last Cakebender
  4. Quotients
  5. Pause Screen
  6. Weekend at Tony's
  7. Science is Spooky Sometimes
  8. Letters from Momtown [feat. Left Out]
  9. Damn Son, Dim Sum
  10. Fog Gate
  11. Randal the Vandal with Apple
  12. Fuckin' A#
  13. ...And That's a Rock Fact

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