About this Album
Dry Food is the debut full-length by Palehound, the project of songwriter and guitarist Ellen Kempner. It was recorded in October 2014 in Brooklyn with Gabe Wax producing, and released on August 14, 2015 by Exploding in Sound (with a UK release through Heavenly in March 2016). Kempner wrote the arrangements and played every instrument except drums.[1]
The eight songs run under half an hour. They were written when Kempner was around twenty-one, after the attention given to her 2013 EP Bent Nail led her to leave college, and they deal with anxiety, self-doubt, a painful breakup, and isolation.[2] Kempner has said she named the album after its title track, which she describes as being about a slow, dry way of living.[3]
Critics responded warmly. The album holds a 78 on Metacritic from eleven reviews, and reviewers singled out the guitar playing and the range from fuzzy pop to fingerpicked ballads.[1]
Songs
References
- Dry Food (Wikipedia) — Release date, recording details, tracklist and critical reception for the album
- Review: Palehound, Dry Food (Connecticut Public / NPR) — Background on Kempner, the writing of the album, and the sound of the song
- Interview with Ellen Kempner, Palehound (Montreal Rocks) — Kempner on the album title, her depression and leaving college