New Brunswick-based chamber pop duo, Pallmer is made up of Emily Kennedy (cello, vocals) and Mark Kleyn (viola). The two had performed with each other in classical ensembles for several years before delving into their own writing, using loop pedals and effects to expand the possibilities of their wooden instruments.
Today, we are happy to team up with the duo to unveil their new single, “Quiet Clapping”, the title track from their forthcoming EP slated for release in 2021.
“I find a lot of New Brunswickers have a grass-is-greener outlook on their home province,” said Kennedy. “I know I did. I left for a large chunk of my twenties, and every once in a while, that feeling returns – the feeling that elsewhere will be better, that living in a larger city is the only way to ‘make it’ – whatever that means. I wrote the lyrics to ‘Quiet Clapping’ after realizing one night that this grass-is-greener fantasy was stopping me from appreciating what was right in front of me.”
“Who can say a place is empty / When they’ve never been at all,” sings Kennedy, her voice burrowing into affecting layers of plucking and bowing. “A memory can fill a room.”
“It dawned on me that I’d been using time at home as a period to recharge for something else, but for what?” Kennedy wondered. “I was happier than I had been in a long time, and didn’t want to throw that away. As a province, we have a lot to work on, but we’re lucky to have such a tightly-knit arts community. There’s space and support to try things, to take creative risks. The song isn’t so much about settling down as it is about recognizing and investing in places and communities that enrich you.”
Check out “Quiet Clapping” below and stay up to date with Pallmer via their socials.