Storm the Palace did things back to front for their new non-single and accompanying video. ‘Born On The Other Side’ is a trailer of sorts for the Edinburgh-sired baroque folk-pop quintet’s forthcoming third album and was initially released before the video was made. Crowd-funding from the band’s loyal fan base enabled director Marry Waterson to bring her mind-melding fusion of animated folk horror stylings to life. The result resembles the theme song and opening credits to the sort of 1970s children’s TV drama that promised nightmares before teatime.
“Born On The Other Side” is a mood-setting song, rather than a narrative one, like others that will appear on the forthcoming album,” explains Sophie Dodds, Storm the Palace’s lead vocalist and driving force. “Some of the lyrics were written by our bassist and co-vocalist, Willa Bews. From different angles, we were both writing about themes of adaptation and evolution and the clash between ancient worlds and new.
“I was partly inspired by the Fairy Pools on Skye, which we visited as a band on our Highland tour in 2018. They were overrun with tourists, and yet still magical and mysterious. Skye was choked with midges when we were there, and I began to imagine the midges as the fairies themselves, trying to chase the tourists away. This gained unforeseen relevance from 2020 onwards, as hoards of unwanted ‘staycationers’ made their way to places like Skye, bringing infection and risk to fragile communities.”
With Waterson coming from a musical dynasty already steeped in the sound worlds Storm the Palace occupies, there was an instinctive understanding of the visual elements ‘Born On The Other Side’ inspired.
“I used stills, live footage and hand painted 16 mm vine film and animated in a Wacom Cintiq pro tablet,” Waterson explains. “It’s moody and magical, and I’m really proud of it.”
For Dodds and Storm the Palace, such an organic alliance fitted perfectly with their vision.
“The video is a wonderful thing,” Dodds says. “When Marry got to work on it, we shared a mood board and a few references, but she didn’t need much guidance. As someone for whom music runs very deep in her blood, she knew exactly how to shape the imagery and editing around the music. The result is something that captures the ominous, disquieting mood of the song perfectly, taking the viewer by the hand and leading them into a strange new world.”
We couldn’t agree more…it’s also our Song of the Day.
Storm the Palace first came together in 2015, an era that now looks like quaint pre-history compared to the chaos of now. Internationalist in intent, their line-up is drawn from all points of the compass. With Dodds at the helm, the band’s lineup includes Vermont-born Bews, while drummer Alberto Bravo hails from Madrid. Fiddle player Jon Bews – whose Scandinavian style scrapings give ‘Born On The Other Side’ much of its eerie feel – has performed with the likes of Shooglenifty, while keyboardist Reuben Taylor is also known for his work with James Yorkston, Meursault and Waterson herself.
Since releasing their tellingly titled In Ruins EP in 2015, Storm the Palace have released two full albums: Snow, Starts and Public Transport (2017) and Delicious Monster (2019). They have toured in the UK, Ireland, and the US, and have been featured on the BBC and by numerous blogs and radio shows, drawing to them a small but devoted fan base spread out across the globe. It is the intangible presence of this fan base that proved crucial to the creation of Waterson’s video.
With work on their third, as yet untitled album ongoing, Storm the Palace aren’t being tied down by generic expectations. Their new material sees the band leaning more heavily into their trad folk credentials but also takes stylistic detours into the realms of heavy rock and ecclesiastical choral music, all with their characteristic balance of wry humour, surrealism and unabashed beauty.
“Ultimately, the inspiration for this body of work is more from films than it is from music,” says Dodds, “in particular the world of 1970s and 1980s fantasy, awash with analogue sounds and special effects.”
When this will see the light of day, however, remains to be seen. Like the rest of the world, Storm the Palace are currently navigating their way blindly through the dark tunnel of a COVID scarred landscape, where a new abnormal awaits.
“We know better than to make concrete plans,” says Dodds. “In the meantime, we must find escape in fantasy. This is, apparently, a noted tactic among people living in crisis zones.”
In the meantime, ‘Born On The Other Side’ is a stepping-stone towards the future.
“This is not a single, per se,” says Dodds, “more an offering, and a promise of what’s to come. At the moment I just want to create one beautiful thing at a time.”
The track is available via Bandcamp (name your price) here: https://stormthepalace.bandcamp.com/track/born-on-the-other-side
Storm the Palace: Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Youtube