Palomosa Recap: The Dare, underscores, Yung Lean, and More

Palomosa took over Montreal’s Jean-Drapeau Island last weekend. The inaugural edition of the festival had attendees dancing from dusk to dawn, beginning with a block party on Thursday and concluding late Saturday night with an after-party from New York’s The Dare.

Also Cool’s highlights from Friday night include a standout performance by Understores, cementing our obsession with the California-born musician. Snow Strippers brought their usual high energy performance that had GTA 5 vibes in the best way possible. Yung Lean’s performance was a life-changing experience for the Tumblr kids and the 14-year-olds in the mosh pit alike. He played all his hits, including his latest collab with Charli XCX, and classics like "Smirnoff Ice." He closed his set with "Agony," which had the crowd tearing up.

Later that night, at the SAT after-party, Pep Rally and Surf Gang hosted a split-level event that saw a steady flow of people hitting the dancefloor throughout the night.

Saturday kicked-off with a fun set by The Dare, followed by a classic rockstar show from Yves Tumor. Despite heavy rain, LSDXOXO had the crowd shaking ass, warming everyone up for the BadBadNotGood set, which was paired with beautiful live visuals. Jai Paul’s finale was nothing short of incredible. Many in the crowd noted that this may have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience his set live.

With a line wrapping around the block, the SAT after-party, hosted by The Dare and Discoño, was completely sold out. The indie sleaze-clad crowd was fully in sync outfit and energy-wise. The Frost Children delivered a killer DJ set, followed fellow Dimes Square celeb The Dare, who had the walls sweating with banger after banger

Overall, Palomosa was sickening, showcasing some of the best lineup curation we've seen in years. It's a breath of fresh air for both the Montreal and international music scenes, with a perfect balance of international acts and deserving local talent. 

Malaika Astorga is the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and social media strategist currently based in Montreal.

---

Related Articles

Also Cool's Palomosa Top Picks (Yung Lean, Jai Paul, Snow Strippers, and More)

The Montreal team behind Igloofest and Piknic Électronik, have treated us to what is possibly the best lineup we’ve seen since TIME Festival in 2015. From September 5th to 7th, Parc Jean-Drapeau will host the first ever-edition of Palomosa, where every act could be their own festival headliner. Oh and not to mention, there’s a block party on September 5th at the SAT, and an iconic after party on September 6th and 7th. 

It’s overwhelming in the best way possible, so we decided to break it down for you with Also Cool’s top Palomosa picks. Listen to our playlist at the same time to get a taste of what’s to come

Friday September 6th - Top Picks

Yung Lean - Iconic Swedish rapper who defined the 2010s vaporwave Tumblr era, perfect to listen to with some Arizona iced tea and your cloud rap fanatic friends.

Yaeji - Making it rain(gurl) since 2017 with her dance floor-ready tracks, Yaeji is an artist, producer, vocalist, and musician born in NYC and raised in Seoul.

Snowstrippers - Did someone say indie sleaze revival? Crystal Castles fans rejoice, this Detroit duo’s electro sound is straight out of the 2010s.

horsegiirL - The world is her barn and we’re just living in it. Horsegiirl gained mainstream popularity after her hit single “My Barn My Rules” went viral, cementing her icon status as number one horse pop star.

Also Cool’s Afterparty of choice:

Saturday September 7th - Top Picks

Jai Paul - The mysterious British songwriter and record producer from the UK is finally playing live shows, years after his demo “BTSTU” made waves across the music industry in the 2010s.

Yves Tumor - A true rockstar, Yves Tumor shifts, alters, and plays with the boundaries of contemporary art and culture. Always a treat to see live, you can count on an electrifying performance.

BADBADNOTGOOD - As previously mentioned, the Also Cools who are writing this article saw BBNG at Times festival in high school, and proudly learned to mosh during the contemporary jazz group’s many performances in Ottawa and Toronto in the mid 2010s.

SHYGIRL - British star has a club all to her own this year, with LSDXOXO, Nick Léon, and Angelita joining her for Club Shy.

LSDXOXO - We saw LSDXOXO perform at the most recent Montreal Boiler Room and it was very demure, very mindful, but most of all one of the hardest sets we’ve heard in a long time.

Also Cool’s Afterparty of choice:

Get your tickets for Montreal’s best end-of-summer party, Palomosa, here. 

Malaika Astorga is the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and social media strategist currently based in Montreal.

---

Related Articles

Youth Lagoon, May Rio, Ayane Yamazaki, Disq and More: Also Cool's Playlist Refresh

Heaven Is A Junkyard by Youth Lagoon

As we move into what is hopefully the final leg of a long winter, our listening habits have lean towards comfort songs and new releases. From the Ottawa-core soft indie rock of Trevor Sloan, to a high-energy party track from The Dare, our Refresh hits all the notes you need to get through your snowy walks and cozy days.

Listen to the latest chapter of our Playlist Refresh series on Spotify.

Trevor Sloan by Patrick Dinglasan

If you like upbeat indie-folk, 8mm footage, and mid-sized Canadian cities, you’re going to love Toronto-based artist Trevor Sloan’s latest single “Ottawa 1977”. The track marks one chapter of his new album Dusk Among the Palm Trees, out April 14. As Sloan delicately pores over fragments from his family’s past, the music video brings those recollections to life: twists and shouts, colourful beach balls, all-knowing grandparents and not-caring tots. His vocals are buoyant and pure, as ephemeral as the memories themselves: “Let’s laugh and dance / when we got the chance”. Sounds like good advice.

Trevor Sloan

Website | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

View fullsize

May Rio by Logan White

Brooklynite May Rio has quite literally gone goblin mode with her new track “Need You Like”. Premiering this past Wednesday via Paper Magazine, the dream pop single is another instant classic from Rio, wherein she pens herself as a villain leading-on an unnamed lover: “You went to bat for me / I triple-played a loner / Gift-wrap your heart, you’re sweet / I’ll pickle it with the others”. Rich with bubbling synths and swanky guitar, Rio’s sugary voice and wit take centre-stage in the two-minute earworm. 

May Rio

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

View fullsize

Ayane Yamazaki by Masahiro Yanagisawa

Tokyo’s Ayane Yamazaki reimagines city pop on her latest arrival “Saturn and Unicorn” Released on February 24th on me and baby music, Yamazaki’s buttery vocals glide atop luminescent melodies with hypnotizing danceability. Working tirelessly in crafting electro-pop perfection since the age of 15, Yamazaki has garnered a following from college and alternative radio stations around the world. In a statement on “Saturn and Unicorn”, Yamazaki shares that the song represents entering a new frontier; we can’t wait to see what’s next for the 24-year-old singer! 

Ayane Yamazaki

Website | Instagram | Spotify

The Dare via Bandcamp

New York’s Harrison Patrick Smith AKA The Dare resuscitates aughts electroclash hedonism on his brand new offering “Good Time”.  A fuzzy comedown from his breakout banger “Girls” (which has been a constant spin since its drop, by the way), “Good Time” is a sexy smoke break from a hazy dancefloor. The anticipated single expertly nods to dance-punk taste-makers like LCD Soundsystem and Peaches, making for a saturated rager that instigates entertainment for entertainment’s sake; and we’re absolutely here for it.

The Dare

Instagram | Spotify

Disq via the band’s website

Wisconsin rock band Disq have spent the week rolling through 400-series highways, spreading flecks of grungy magic along the way. The five-piece group is supporting the first half of Alvvays’ Canadian tour, but they emerge as the stars of the show – uneasy yet audacious, impossible to pin down and indifferent to your attempts. Their latest album Desperately Imagining Someplace Quiet feels agile and provocative, probing issues of the modern age with stream-of-consciousness wit and frenetic punk stylings. Many highlights to be found within their catalogue, but fellow emos will delight in how “The Hardest Part” scalds with its imagery and explosive climax.

Disq

Website | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Lucy via Interview Mag By Annabell P. Lee

It's fair to say that LUCY (Cooper B. Handy) is our latest musical obsession here at Also Cool. We initially discovered his music through his collaboration with Boy Harsher, "Autonomy”, and have since dove deep into the world of LUCY and caught his recent live set in Montreal with Night Lunch and Mark Cone.

His approach to songwriting falls balances simplicity with sometimes absurd but always heartfelt messages. Although it's not a new release, "Even The Score" (a collaboration with Whitearmor) has been on repeat for the last month, making it a worthy addition to our Refresh.

LUCY (Cooper B. Handy)
SoundCloud I Instagram

Youth Lagoon (Trevor Powers by Tyler T. Williams

Youth Lagoon (Trevor Powers) makes a tender return with his latest track, “Idaho Alien”, which comes off his forthcoming album Heaven Is a Junkyard. In 2016, Trevor Powers shut the door on Youth Lagoon. “I felt like I was in a chokehold,” he says. “Even though it was my music, I lost my way. In a lot of ways, I lost myself.” But after an over-the-counter drug reaction caused eight months of harm to Powers’ larynx and vocal cords, temporarily silencing his voice, he decided to return to the project.

Trevor comes home to Youth Lagoon through reflections on family, drug use, youth, brotherhood and war. “I don’t remember how it happened / Blood filled up the clawfoot bath, and I will fear no frontier.” 

Youth Lagoon
Instagram I Spotify

Scarlet Rae returns with a gentle heartache of track, “Waking Dream”. Her wavering vocals reflect on relationships with others, being alone, and moving on. “arms are open wide, my baby holds me tight, between love and light there’s always something left behind.”

For fans of Elliot Smith, Sparklehorse, and PACKS, keep an eye out for Scarlet’s live NYC shows.

Scarlet Rae
Instagram I Spotify

---

Related Articles