Storm the Palace

Storm the Palace

Storm the Palace are an Edinburgh and London based five-piece band who combine elements of baroque-pop and traditional folk with menacing melodies and cinematic flare. The band have released their debut album Snow, Stars and Public Transport, out now via Abandoned Love Records.

A labour of love, the record was written over a nine year period while singer, Sophie Dodds, lived in London. Originally from Edinburgh, Sophie used her time in the city to write and create vignettes of her life; snapshots of the people who passed through it and how the city’s unfolding narratives impacted upon her.



The resultant record is an unintentional concept album full of compellingly memorable songs, both challenging and inviting, conjuring memories of chansonnier-style singers old and new; from Keren Ann and Chrysta Bell to Édith Piaf and Françoise Hardy. Taking inspiration from European folk, sixties orchestral pop and nineties guitar bands, Storm the Palace transcend a number of genres over the course of ten captivating tracks. On songs such as ‘Nadir’ the band set the mood for what is to come; off kilter piano is accented by a simple, yet effective, rhythm section, all brought neatly together by Sophie’s pure, passionate vocals. Forthcoming single ‘Moon Above Villiers St’ creates a tension-filled atmosphere, built through a 7/8 time signature, with mesmerising repetitive mandolin fluttering and harmonies soaring, as the band come together as one to produce a rich tone and texture that is as welcoming as it is isolating. On Snow, Stars and Public Transport Storm the Palace have constructed an album full of contrasting styles and emotions, an ability that marks them out from current, contemporary indie-folk bands.

Comprised of Sophie (vocals, guitars), Reuben Taylor (piano, accordion), noted for his work with Meursault and James Yorkston, Pippa Murdie (backing vocals, mandolin), Gordon Webster (drums) and Sam Wilkinson (bass), Storm the Palace are based in Edinburgh and London and are signed to an American label; a transcendence that can be heard through the music they create. After Sophie began performing her own songs in 2013, she gradually accumulated band members along the way until Storm the Palace were officially born. The album features a number of guest appearances such as Dan Simons (CYMBALS) and Jamie Kenny (The Hallé, Liverpool Philharmonic) and was mastered by stalwart of the Scottish IDM scene C. Mantle.

Snow, Stars and Public Transport by Storm the Palace is out now via Abandoned Love Records.

Storm the Palace on tour