The first line of Palehound’s “Cushioned Caging” begins in the middle of a thought. “And when the organ starts a-playin,” sings frontwoman Ellen Kempner, whose voice arrives in a crashing wave of sound after a twangy, beachy one-chord intro. It sends a message that resonates through the rest of the too-brief song: This ain’t the half of it.
Kempner has the sort of vocal moxie that can’t be stifled by lo-fi production and fuzzed-out guitar. Her voice is not quite playful, but it’s vivacious and infectious. Kempner’s songwriting has a wry, wary edge, but her songs come wrapped in bright packaging that’s hard to resist. Just three minutes long, “Cushioned Caging” is a lollipop dropped in the sand — sweet, gritty and gone before we’re done with it. Good thing there’s more where it came from.
Palehound’s debut album, Dry Food, is out Aug. 14 on Exploding in Sound Records.
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