What do you get when you combine of love of ethereal ambiance, synthpop melodies, and the dance mechanices from the likes of Aphex Twin? You get Palindrones. But even then a description as short as that is insulting to the duo as they explore a blend of music-craft that envelopes everything already stated and so much more, flowing through the likes of industrial experimentation, drum’n’bass styles, and multi-media story-telling. The duo has simply been crushing it lately and are the byproduct of a collaboration gone right. We get the chance to learn so much more about Palindrones in today’s edition of INTRODUCING by letting duo Karen and Jamie discuss the band and their most recent release.
Give us a brief about your band. Who are you and what do you do?
Palindrones is Karen & Jamie, we make dreamy, Industrial Synthpop, emotionally immersive, dark electronic music that is both hopeful and apocalyptic at once.
When did you first launch the project and how has it come along since?
K: During lockdown, Jamie, stuck in North West London, sent me an electronic track he was working on (stuck in South East London) and asked me to write some vocals for it. We discovered that our ideas fit together beautifully and our first song, Sectio Aurea, was born. From then on the music flowed and we haven’t stopped since. As soon as the world opened up, we booked our first show at The Victoria in London and we’ve continued to regularly perform shows all over the country including Whitby Goth Weekend, Resistanz 2025 and Dark Fest, plus we’ve had the pleasure of supporting A Flock of Seagulls, NNHMN, Auger, Promenade Cinema, Je T’aime and Beborn Beton.
What bands and artists influenced you the most and why?
J: I grew up listening to Metal and guitar music. As a teen, Nine Inch Nails and Joy Division opened my eyes to synthesisers and electronic music, with Aphex Twin being the logical conclusion of that introduction. Later, Burial’s use of organic textures and expansive mountains of reverb in his music was an inspiration with how immersive an atmosphere he creates; the lonely walk through an endless, empty city at 4am. My approach to composing is not about musicality, but more about creating a feeling and these artists resonate with that sensibility of experimentation.
K: I’ll struggle to keep this short, I love sooo much music! I grew up in a musical family listening to folk rock and pop music of the 70s and 80s. As a teen I was an Indie/Britpop Kid, my influences were UK bands such as Lush, Garbage and Catatonia and US bands like Belly and Veruca Salt. The explosion of female fronted indie was so inspiring and encouraged my passion to make and perform original music. My taste moved more into electronic music as my love for innovation and technology developed the same time as I discovered the escapism of dancing which lead me to a love of Trip Hop, Trance and Techno with bands such as Sneaker Pimps, Portishead, Faithless, Tricky and The Prodigy. Other huge influences for me are Bjork, Kraftwerk, David Bowie, Kate Bush, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Sisters of Mercy (to name but a few!). My current favourite artist is Ionnalee. I adore her vocals and melodies and her live shows are beautiful and immersive. I love discovering new music and have been listening to a lot of European music in the Darkwave and Witch House scenes.
If you could pick a single song from your discography to explain your music, which song would you pick and why?
This is difficult to answer because our music is constantly evolving. For that reason we would pick one of our newest songs; ‘The Brightling Star’. It’s beautiful and brutal which perfectly encapsulates who we are and what we represent; the juxtaposition of light and dark, the hypnotic and the hyperfocused.
What is your most recent release and what is it about?
Described by Palindrones as “a magickal experiment in sonic alchemy,” our new single ‘Abraxas’ embodies a dynamic tension between opposing forces. The track blends distorted, high-intensity breakcore rhythms with soaring, melodic lines, creating a soundscape that oscillates between bliss and brutality. Its structure evokes both chaos and catharsis — a meditation on duality that sits at the heart of Palindrones’ creative vision.
Take us through your creative process. How do you compose a song from start to finish? Where do the ideas come from?
J: Conceptually, our music begins with an idea, a feeling, a memory, the thrum of humanity, the rhythm of the city or the expanse of nature. Whatever its genesis, the idea is bounced back and forth between us until its form is revealed. This continues over time, there isn’t really a finish, our music evolves in the playing, the live versions echo the recorded versions, and remixes recontextualise them, be they our own reinterpretations or that of other artists.
What’s your current favorite song, band, or album within your scene? And vice versa, what do you enjoy the most that’s completely opposite of what you make?
K: Nadia Vang has just released a stunning single called The Memory of Your Voice. I have it on repeat! The video is beautiful too. Something that’s completely different to us stylewise… I recently discovered I have a cousin in a brilliant Prog Rock band called Solstice, their releases Life and Firefly are joyous! They’re explosive live!
J: Hexial’s brand new album, Through Static, is beautifully crafted; intricate beats and a thoughtful, sombre mood. His production is absolutely beyond reproach – incredible attention to detail. I think if I was to say something opposite, maybe Catch 33 by Meshuggah, it’s a record from 20 years ago. Superficially Meshuggah is very different from Palindrones, but I think the way this album flows as a continuous groove is very influential in the way we map out our work. Their use of polyrhythms is phenomenal.
What is on the horizon for your project? Upcoming gigs, tours, merch, videos, etc. Name it, link it, show it off.
Our next release will be double A-side single ‘Abraxas & The Brightling Star’ will be released on 5th December 25 – Abraxas, which we just released the video for, is taken from Palindrones’ third album ‘Chapter Two: The Slender Blade’.
‘The Brightling Star’, a brand new companion piece to Abraxas, continues this theme of unity and connection but rises from a dark and fiery chaos to bring resolution and renewal. It is the moment of synthesis after conflict; every fracture contains the seeds of harmony. The music grows gradually, until all elements converge in a crescendo of pulsing trance. At its peak, the refrain resounds like an invocation: “The Two, Become the Many, Become the One.”
This chant encapsulates the song’s central truth — that individuality and unity can coexist in a shared heartbeat. ‘The Brightling Star’ shines as both counterpart and completion: an anthem to cohesion, hope, redemption, and the transcendence that emerges when disparate forces align in perfect, radiant balance. The song also has an accompanying video which releases on December 5th alongside the single.
We have an exciting year of shows planned already; including a headline slot at Cable Festival on Sunday March 1st. We’ve played a lot of towns around the UK, North, South, East and West and we have a list of new towns we hope to “conquer”.
We produce all our artwork and visuals ourselves (or by collaborating with our artist friends). We plan to release videos for several of the tracks from ‘Chapter Two: The Slender Blade’ trhough 2025, releasing these as double A-sides with the new music we are continuously writing.
