Palehound Explore Unexpected Loss With ‘If You Met Her’

Ellen Kempner has been playing guitar and writing songs for as long as she can remember, doing so as a way to process her life and experiences. After deciding that college in New York City wasn’t for her, she moved to Boston, and eventually started making music performing as Palehound. Now joined by Jesse Weiss on drums, and Larz Brogan on guitar, Palehound has released their second album, ‘A Place I’ll Always Go’. The album was recorded last year at Thump Studios, Brooklyn, assisted by Gabe Wax, who also worked on their 2015 debut album, ‘Dry Food’.

Kempner has only recently started exploring her queerness in music, and ‘A Place I’ll Always Go’ finds two focuses: Ellen’s partner, who she writes about, using female pronouns, and her friend Lily, who died unexpectedly. Kempner says, “When you lose a friend – a young friend – nothing can prepare you for that.”

The video for ‘If You Met Her’, which saw its premier on Rookie Mag, was created entirely by high school students at the Real to Reel Film School at Raw Art Works, in Lynn, Massachusetts. In the clip Kempner is driving, lost in thought, and then is seen at home, sitting at the kitchen table, playing her guitar, on her bed, and in front of the TV while recalling happier times, and wishing her friend could meet her new lover:

“I’m with someone new, and I know that you would love her if you met her.”

It’s a stunningly honest portrayal of the unexpected feelings after loss, symbolised by empty chairs holding weight, and things crashing to the ground around Kempner.

Find out more about Palehound online on their website, where you can also find out more about their planned tour dates this summer. ‘A Place I’ll Always Go’ is available to order on LP, CD, tape, and as a digital download from Polyvinyl Records. Follow Palehound online on their official website, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.