Palo Brea is the band of your dreams if your dreams are usually scored by dark and intricate synth pop overlaid with soaring, heartrending melodies. Spearheaded by vocalist Laura Berens and keyboardist Daniel Byers, this band is on a mission to move your heart as it excites your brain. Marrying intimate and intricate melodic songwriting with neo-soul- and jazz-influenced pop grooves, Palo Brea is here to turn your inner world upside-down and then bring you back again with a kiss.
The band’s latest single, “Latency,” is a bouncy, soul-funk fusion track with lush vocals and infectious drums. The effort is modern, taking notes from today’s soul and jazz scenes by including a criminally smooth tempo and arrangement switch halfway through the track. What starts off as a bouncy, drum-driven outing quickly and effortlessly transitions into a slow-burning neo-soul ballad before exploding back into the funk it kicked off with. While the arrangement shifts, the vocals warp around the changing styles. Berens shows off her range by dipping into the storied history of soul music while employing unique vocal tones to separate Palo Brea from simply being another soulful jazz band. “Latency” creates a relaxed yet infectious atmosphere as Palo Brea taps into nostalgia on their new single.
“‘Latency’ is about that strange feeling you get when you meet a braggadocious 22-year-old adult and think, ‘Oh my god, you’re still a child,’ and then you think, ‘Oh my god, am I SO old?’ and then you think ‘OH NO IS THAT WHAT THAT 36-YEAR-OLD THOUGHT ABOUT ME?!?!?” Explains the band when asked about their new single.