GENTLY TENDER
Take Hold Of Your Promise SO YOUNG
7/10
South Londoners reconfigure for gothic folk outing
Rising from the ashes after two albums as Palma Violets, frontman/ guitarist Sam Fryer, keyboard player Peter Mayhew and drummer Will Doyle regroup with a newfound taste for anthemic Americana. The recruitment of bassist Celia Archer brings the bonus of a vocal foil for Fryer, best evidenced on the Hazlewood-Sinatra hues of “Sunlight In Motion” and the Morricone moods of “Home Anyone”, while “This Is My Night Of Compassion” adds a soupçon of soul with Edwyn Collins overtones. It’s produced by Matthew E White, who brings a grandeur to proceedings by embellishing a handful of tracks with punctuations of brass and atmospheric gospel choirs.