Indie Artist Spotlight: Palm Trees In Moscow

This week, my posts are going to exclusively focus on independent artists, and what better way to kick that off with a Baltimore local? Palm Trees in Moscow is the brain child of writer, performer, and producer, Chris Frantz. His sound is unique, experimental, and draws inspiration from so many different points on the music spectrum, but most notably the shoe-gaze influence with a modern twist (nu-gaze if you will) found in the reverb of the guitar and the delayed effects creating a blooming, psychedelic soundscape.

For his forthcoming single, "Blood in the Water," Chris recorded the single at home with the help of local studio, The Watermelon Room, and teamed up with master engineer and Baltimore legend, Mat Lefler-Schulman of Mobtown Studios, who has previously worked with the massively successful Baltimore bands Future Islands and Beach House. Palm Trees in Moscow looks to be in some great company.

"Blood in the Water" will be released on all streaming platforms on October 15th. Below is a video with a preview of the song that you can check out. You can pre-save the song on Spotify, here.

What stands out to me more than anything on this track, even outside of the creative and exploratory production work, is Chris' song writing ability. I could tell just from the writing in my prior correspondence with him and from his choice of words and description of his own music that he is a very, very gifted writer and it shows in this song that has the ability to be interpreted differently by every listener. "It's about demanding the world from someone who is not ready to give it to you, and whether you are ready to challenge yourself (swim with sharks) and give it back to them."

Check out Palm Tress in Moscow on Instagram at palmtreesinmoscow.

While you're at it, shoot me a follow too at weise_words.