Palomino Blond

Palomino Blond is an up-and-coming independent rock band that’s both a product of and an alternative to their native Miami locale. The trio of Carli Acosta (guitar/lead vocals - they/them), Emma Arevalo (drums/vocals - she/they) and Peter Allen (guitar - he/him) will release their sophomore album You Feel It Too on October 4, 2024, on Kanine Records (Surfer Blood, Blushing). It’s a dynamic collection heavily influenced by both ‘90s alt-rock and the not-as-obvious sounds of their surroundings.

With a DIY ethos and lots of big guitars, Palomino Blond have gone from heroes of the house-show circuit to darlings of the regional cognoscenti. With a stout, multi-dimensional sound whose prism spans grunge, shoegaze and dream pop, they’ve got all the right influences. But, while Palomino Blond are acolytes of the ‘90s, their music is no basic redux. Instead, they’re part of a surging young class that’s bringing new blood, perspective and verve to give the classic alternative-rock aesthetic a distinctly 21st century resonance.
It’s what caught the attention of Kanine Records’ Lio Kanine, who said, “There are small hints of shoegaze and tenderness, but their guitars are strongly connected to ‘90s alt-rock. That sound seems to have been lost - as many of the bands trying to bring it back simply aren't doing it well, but Palomino Blond have nailed that sound.”

The current lineup came together in 2020 while jamming together during lockdown – with the vibe being just right. The trio was born and raised in Miami. Carli and Emma are cousins, while Peter had been playing in bands since the other two were barely in elementary school. Children of Latin hip-hop musicians and visual artists, there was never a moment in their childhood that didn’t have a wide array of music playing in the background.

While Peter cut his teeth in the hardcore scene, Carli was originally drawn to the inescapable electronic and dance music community. Acosta says, “I started going out dancing a lot. At first, I was going to clubs, but I hated the culture. Then I started going to raves and meeting a lot of like-minded people who played rock music too.” Falling into the tight-knit South Florida DIY scene, Carli found a much more welcoming culture and attributes it to the fact that touring out of Florida is hard. “It’s over an 8-hour drive before even getting out of the state, so it often gets skipped by a lot of national touring bands, so the South Florida rock fans are hungry and open to new things.”

From that underground sprang Palomino Blond. And You Feel It Too is the document of the band coming into their own. Even after some core personnel changes, this outing is where the current trio crystallized into their most essential lineup yet. Carli says “With this album, sonically we wanted to make the heavy songs heavier and the quiet songs quieter and more atmospheric. While lyrically, it covers a lot of ground: dysfunctional relationships, loss, anger, regret, spacing out, depression, isolation, feeling your ego fall apart and being on a horrendous acid trip in Times Square.”

Indeed, You Feel It Too is a full-band product, the fruit of hands-on collaboration where all three members were intertwined in playing, programming and production. “Peter is such an amazing guitarist and his contributions on this album are amazing,” says Carli. “Emma, our drummer, also stepped up to co-write a lot of this album, and there are two songs on it, ‘Last Forever’ and ‘It Kills Me’ that were fully written by her.”
The 11-track You Feel It Too isn’t just Palomino Blond’s most extensive work to date but also their most honed. There are some heavy emotions in here, but they’re woven in a dynamic duality of heavy and heavenly. Lush reinterpreting Siamese Dream might sound like this. It doesn’t completely escape its surroundings either. Miami bass sounds and electronic music influence sneaks in, with synths and electronic drum samples found on “It Kills Me,” “Machine,” “Automatic” and “Plain View.”

You Feel It Too was produced by Palomino Blond along with engineering from Ryan Haft (Jacuzzi Boys, Wrong, Torche), Jonathan Nuñez (of Torche) and the band themselves – mastered by Dan Coutant (A Giant Dog, Jawbox, Fiddlehead). Taken together, these songs are a deep swim in thick, plush waters at once cradling and crushing. Dive in, get swept, maybe even succumb for good.