Palma Violets
Danger in the Club
ROUGH TRADE
5/10
Palma Violets’ sophomore full-length kicks off with the precocious Brits singing a seemingly sloshed version of the 1951 Dinah Shore number “Sweet Violets,” a song that is silly but fun, suggestive but still pretty sterile. So, naturally it’s a little confusing as to why the band chose to precede a garage-punk record with such an innocent-sounding ditty (other than the use of violets in the title). However, that sample pretty much sums up the lighthearted but bland vibes of Danger in the Club. The London group’s 2013 debut 180 was raw and wild—exactly what you would want to hear from a foursome of British lads not even old enough to drink in the States. Danger doesn’t have that same spark, even though all of the same elements are present. The rebellious nature of being young and alive in a city is what makes the Violets so great, and Danger in the Club’s lack of that spunk is what makes the LP so disappointing.
