High Desert Queen – Palm Reader
Release Date: 31st May 2024
Label: Magnetic Eye Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Stoner Rock, Texas Desert Rock.
FFO: Kyuss, Red Fang, Fu Manchu.
Review By: Hillary Wisniewski
Palm Reader is the sophomore album for Texas-based High Desert Queen. As you might discern from their name, this is a band that is channelling massive desert rock vibes but with a bit of pizazz to pay homage to their Texas roots. It’s a good combination and one that will likely please many listeners. When I pulled up the video for the track Ancient Aliens, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was well pleased with the references to one of the best movies ever, John Carpenter’s They Live. Because of this, the bar was set pretty high for me in terms of what to expect from Palm Reader. I know, I know: you really shouldn’t base a perception off of a video. Shame on me.
Let’s start with the pros: there are definitely some massive, grooving riffs throughout this album and that nice fuzz associated with the desert rock sound. Well-crafted bluesy solos, along with a tight rhythm section, really highlighted the musical talent present in High Desert Queen. Most tracks are super catchy and I could imagine a crowd really bouncing along, groovin’ and having a hell of a time. The production on this album is well done and quite clean: think big rock band vibes. I mean, there is a saying that everything is bigger in Texas, so why wouldn’t this sound massive?
Now, the cons: I feel like I have heard this album many times over. There isn’t anything that stands out to me compared to similar acts, so in that regard it may be a possibility High Desert Queen will just get lost in the shuffle of desert and stoner rock acts. And maybe they don’t particularly care about that and are fine with just doing what they do well. Not every act will pursue an experimental route, and reinventing the wheel certainly doesn’t mean there won’t be an audience. On a personal note, I don’t think a super clean production lends itself well to this style of music, as it takes away from an organic feel.
In summary: this is a well-done album in terms of musicianship and production, but it wasn’t necessarily for me. Nothing really caught me and reeled me in, but I do see how Palm Reader will be appealing to many folks who are looking for something that is a bit more mainstream in sound. Because of this, I suspect we will hear more from them in the future. And as a fellow They Live fan, I truly wish them nothing but the best.
(3.5 / 5)
Agreed. Their first album wuz WAAAAY better. I wuz hoping for something better for album 2 but it didnt happen.