Marta Palombo's New EP, ‘Loveliness Made Damned,’ Sets a New Standard in Sonic and Visual Storytelling
‘Loveliness Made Damned’ is a captivating visual EP that immerses its audience into a mystical woodland, where Marta Palombo's enchanting narrative and ethereal indie folk pop create an unforgettable tale of love lost.
NASHVILLE, TN (May 17, 2024) – With her prior singles acting as chapters in a larger story culminating toward this pivotal moment in her career, Marta Palombo reveals her new EP, Loveliness Made Damned, available now on all major streaming platforms. The project stands as a masterclass in cinematic indie pop, capturing the essence of Palombo’s music: emotional, orchestral, and grand. Palombo prioritizes strings, intricate storylines, and emotional depth over commercial norms, creating a cinematic experience reminiscent of movie montages or heartfelt breakup scenes. Her storytelling style, rooted in the folk tradition, strikes a chord with listeners, tapping into the universal emotions of love and loss. The songs were penned in 2020, as Palombo and her partner both sensed their relationship undergoing shifts and changes, sometimes not for the better.
The themes explored in the EP revolve around love's evolution, the unsettling awareness of underlying doubts, and heartbreak. Palombo grappled with these inner conflicts, reluctant to vocalize them, until she found expression through her music. Seeking to immerse the listener in an alternate realm, she incorporates organic sounds like bird calls, creaking wood, and piano pedal movements. Layers of ethereal choirs and celestial background vocals transport the audience into an enchanted dimension. The dynamics shift dramatically, and the vocals soar to create a vast enveloping ambiance. Within these imagery-rich landscapes, two individuals are depicted searching and wandering amidst sunlight and shadow, their quest to find each other amongst a turbulent relationship. Fans can anticipate an EP filled with sonic elements reminiscent of genre icons like Florence + The Machine and Bon Iver.
Official Cover Art for Loveliness Made Damned
Listeners can also expect a short film accompanying the project, breathing life into its narrative through visual storytelling. David Graham, the visionary director behind the film, enriches Palombo’s visual EP with depth and beauty, immersing audiences in the enchanting soundscape of the music and revealing the magic within the complexities of love through each carefully constructed frame.
Other notable collaborators grace the project: Foster Ferrell, a Nashville-based producer, skillfully handled mixing; Jude Icarus contributed as co-producer and featured artist on "A Ghost"; Mitch McLaughlin, a Nashville musician and friend, captured raw sounds with intentional artistry before passing them to Icarus; Patrick Monnius, Alex Krew, and Robert Blakely provided violin, viola, cello, and guitar arrangements; Anna Katherine Creative crafted the EP’s visual identity.
Track One: “A Letter (Overture)”
The journal entry that started it all. With an idea forming in the back of her mind, Palombo began drawing parallels between love and a garden in her journal, writing without a clear objective. From these fragments emerged the spoken word introduction in "A Letter (Overture)," laying the thematic foundation. The closing line, "if you take care of it," echoes as both a warning and a prelude to the EP's overarching journey, one that may not offer the expected resolution. Crafting the instrumental landscape for the track, Icarus meticulously blended elements from each song to set the tone for the narrative journey ahead. Thus, the opening track serves as a true overture, encapsulating sonic elements from subsequent tracks.
Track Two: “A Garden”
Palombo penned "A Garden" as a personal reminder that love mirrors a garden, requiring constant nurturing and care. Its genesis occurred spontaneously, inspired by a visit to the botanical gardens with her partner during a tumultuous phase in their relationship marked by distance and growth. Despite grappling with the cold uncertainty of the future, Marta sought solace through the songwriting process, ultimately finding hope amidst the chaos that the flowers of their love will soon bloom again. Reflecting on the cyclical nature of love, she emphasizes the enduring presence of hope, likening it to the inevitable return of spring.
Track Three: “A Prayer (Interlude)”
"A Prayer (Interlude)" serves as a sanctuary amidst the thematic conflicts and hopeful narratives of the other track on the EP. Palombo intentionally crafted it as a brief interlude, offering listeners a moment to pause and breathe. Its slow tempo, minimalist arrangement, and inherent purity evoke a sense of tranquility. Palombo envisions it as a scene of intimacy, picturing someone playing the piano while their lover leans on their shoulder, immersed in the music—a moment where love triumphs over worldly concerns. Drawing from personal experiences, Palombo reflects on how music served as a bond with her ex-partner, particularly during piano sessions. Recording most of "A Prayer (Interlude)" in a single day at McLaughlin’s house, Palombo cherishes the track as her first piano performance, imbuing it with a sense of authenticity and significance.
Track Four: “A Ghost”
"A Ghost" draws inspiration from a remark Palombo's ex made during their relationship, likening the challenges of long-distance love to feeling like he was dating a ghost. This observation prompted Palombo to craft the track as a companion piece to "A Garden," offering her perspective alongside a nod to his viewpoint. To highlight this shift in perspective, Icarus introduces a male counterpart voice toward the song's conclusion in this hauntingly introspective moment as Palombo navigates the echoes of love’s lingering spirit.
Loveliness Made Damned will be available on all major streaming platforms May 17.
More about Marta Palombo:
If Joni Mitchell and Florence + The Machine had a 21st century hippie daughter, it would be Marta Palombo. Native to Florence, Italy, Marta moved to the United States at just two years old and found she had an innate gift for crafting stories and poetry into works of music, all culminating in her desire to pursue that as a career. Growing up in Atlanta and now residing in Nashville, she now spends her time writing, recording, performing, and curating a cabinet full of local teas. Marta effortlessly weaves diverse influences and genres into her own unique blend of cinematic indie pop.
Pay close attention in 2024, as Marta is reentering the space with new music that is sure to draw listeners and lock them in for the foreseeable future. Marta finds her artistic purpose in building worlds of sound for her listeners to escape into and believes in creating space for all of life’s shifting emotions. With Marta, there is always new music on the horizon, because there is always more love to experience. Her signature style is her ever-growing passion for telling life’s most compelling stories, both big and small.
Connect with Marta Palombo:
Website | Spotify | Apple Music | Instagram | TikTok | X | Facebook
Press Contact: Maria Herrera | maria@evergreenent.com
