Today, Century Palm’s debut LP ‘Meet You’ is out via Deranged, and to mark the release, the band are premiering the video for the album’s first single King of John St. Bearing the influence of acts like New Order and Psychedelic Furs the track is described by FADER as “magic hour post punk,” and is a meditation on moving to a big city from a small town, named for one of Toronto’s dreariest thoroughfares, the street down which Lawton walks to work.
“I have said previously that ‘King of John Street’ is about coming to terms with anonymity after moving to a big city, and that the song is more about trying to shake yourself out of a slump. A pep talk, trying to remind myself not to take everything so seriously, which I do. I take everything too seriously,” Lawton says.
“We shot in November with the help of Priya Thomas with zero budget. We were looking to get good b-roll for the “Then You’re Gone” video, and I just liked the vibe so we made a whole video from the shooting. I come from a DIY background, and I personally like doing as much as we can on our own. We recorded the album ourselves, so it makes sense to me that we make this kind of video ourselves too.
The band got up super early on a Sunday morning and recreated my walk to work down John Street in downtown Toronto that prompted the song. There are also some shots from various practice spaces, a show we played on the rooftop of an art gallery in St. Catharines. Penny’s punk band from when she lived in Vancouver, The Drearies also make a cameo.”
Watch the King of John St video via YouTube below.
Track list
1. Reset Reaction
2. Trapped Here
3. Then You’re Gone
4. These Walls
5. Sick of It
6. New Creation
7. Walk Forever Blind
8. King of John St
9. Another You
10. Desire
‘Meet You’ is available for preorder physically here and digitally via iTunes.
In support of the album, Century Palm are currently on a Canadian tour that includes dates with Tough Age.
Tour Dates
03/10 Thunder Bay, On @ The Apollo
03/11 Winnipeg, MB @ The Handsome Daughter
03/12 Medicine Hat, AB @ Captain’s Cabin
03/14 Lethbridge, AB @ The Owl
03/15 Nelson, BC @ The Royal
03/16 Abbotsford, BC @ Carpark Manor
03/18 Vancouver, BC @ Astoria
03/19 Victoria, BC @ The Copper Owl
03/22 Edmonton, AB @ The Buckingham
03/23 Calgary, AB @ The Palomino
03/24 Regina, SK @ O’Hanlons
03/25 Saskatooon, SK @ Vangelis
03/30 Peterborough, ON @ The Spill
03/31 Toronto, ON @ The Monarch
