Melting Palms Float Between Euphoria and Collapse on Head In The Clouds
From Hamburg, Germany, Melting Palms unveil Head In The Clouds, a four-track release issued on January 23, 2026 that distils their dream-pop and shoegaze instincts into a compact yet emotionally charged statement. Described aptly as a cascade of euphoria and drama, the EP embraces beauty and noise in equal measure, shaping soundscapes that feel weightless on the surface while carrying a powerful emotional undertow.
Head In The Clouds thrives on contrast. Moments of luminous calm give way to surging distortion, soft melodies dissolve into blurred textures, and clarity repeatedly slips into abstraction. Rather than smoothing over these shifts, Melting Palms lean into them, allowing tension and release to coexist within the same breath. The result is music that feels alive and volatile, never settling into complacency.
At the centre of the band’s sound is Teresa Koeberle, whose work on guitar, vocals, and synths provides both melodic direction and emotional gravity. Her vocals drift through the mix with an airy intimacy, often feeling suspended rather than anchored, while her guitar lines shimmer and fracture, guiding the EP’s emotional flow. There is a sense of vulnerability in her delivery, balanced by moments of dramatic swell that push the music outward.
Mike Krumhorn adds further depth through guitar, vocals, and ambient guitar layers, reinforcing the EP’s immersive quality. His textures blur the boundaries between rhythm and atmosphere, expanding the sonic field without overcrowding it. Ilhan Cicek’s guitar work weaves alongside these layers, contributing additional motion and colour, while Johann Wientjes’ drumming anchors the release with steady, expressive momentum. Beneath it all, Stefan Gretscher’s bass provides a grounding presence, connecting the more abstract elements to a physical sense of movement.
Stylistically, Head In The Clouds draws clearly from dream-pop and shoegaze traditions, but avoids becoming purely referential. The band’s emphasis lies in emotional impact rather than genre homage. Reverb and distortion are not decorative but functional, used to amplify feeling and intensity rather than mask it. The EP feels cinematic in scope despite its brevity, suggesting wide emotional landscapes compressed into short, potent bursts.
What makes the release particularly striking is its sense of cohesion. Across four tracks, Melting Palms maintain a consistent emotional temperature, allowing the EP to unfold as a single arc rather than a sequence of disconnected songs. There is an ongoing push and pull between light and darkness, euphoria and unease, that gives Head In The Clouds its lasting resonance.
Within the contemporary European dream-pop and shoegaze landscape, Melting Palms present themselves as a band unafraid of drama, texture, and emotional excess. Head In The Clouds does not aim for subtlety alone; it embraces feeling in full colour, trusting sound and noise to carry meaning where words fall short.
This four-track release feels like both an introduction and a promise. It captures Melting Palms in motion, suspended between beauty and chaos, and leaves the impression of a band ready to push further into those blurred, luminous spaces.
© Thusblog
