HIGH DESERT QUEEN celebrate today’s release of their sophomore full-length “Palm Reader” with a new video single of the title track. The Texas desert rockers are also streaming their hot new album in full now on all relevant outlets.
“We couldn’t be happier with how this album came together.“, vocalist Ryan Garney writes. “Going to YellowDog, and deciding to record the whole thing live without a click track while creating new songs after getting off the road allowed this to be an album that’s helping mold what High Desert Queen is becoming. The title track came together in the studio when Phil started playing the drum beat as a joke. We were all laughing until Rusty ripped into the intro guitar riff, and within an hour we had the music completely written. What you hear on ‘Palm Reader’ is what we created in real time, and it’s not like anything we’ve written before. We knew right away it needed to make it on the album, and it really showcases the spontaneous creativity behind the entire record.“
HIGH DESERT QUEEN‘s sophomore full-length “Palm Reader” is bursting with raw energy and radiates the feeling of 666 diesel horses thundering loudly. The album is crammed with cool vibes, ripping leads, and a ton of desert fuzz with a focus on great songs rather than trying to stay confined within the corral of a particular style.
This untamed attitude took its high creative energy straight from touring. When the band from Texas returned home after six weeks traveling the roads of Europe with the legendary FATSO JETSON and watching them improvising jams every night, they’d been taking notes. Although a bit worn from the road, HIGH DESERT QUEENcould hardly wait to start recording. Not overly focused on how parts were played, allowing themselves imperfections, and ditching the click, the music started to flow like never before. In the first studio session after the tour, three new songs emerged.
Working within a live framework and mindset, the Austin, Texas band hit the jackpot and “Palm Reader” bears witness to that claim. In more than one way, HIGH DESERT QUEEN have always been a bit different and far more than ‘another desert rock band’. Formed in Houston, Texas by singer Ryan Garney and guitarist Rusty Miller in 2019, the duo soon recruited drummer Phil Hook (MONTE LUNA) and relocated to Austin in 2020.
With the addition of Rusty’s daughter Morgan on bass, the band hit the ground running. The lone star shone brightly when the four got together as desert rock had already endured a long rather dry spell of stagnation and was parched for an injection of fresh sounds.
HIGH DESERT QUEEN had what it takes to kick the scene into gear again. Their vast musical influences, which range from grunge to funk and old school metal to doom, provide an ideal foundation for new ideas and a rejuvenating approach to the genre. Their thunderous, fuzz-drenched anthems are delivered with a healthy dose of groove and catchy melodies, and get a massive boost from an emotional intelligence in their music that’s hard to find. The newly-minted sound is linked to the rich heritage of their musical environment, inspiring the style tag ‘Texas desert rock’.
Hard work and their obviously burgeoning talent resulted in an fast rise for HIGH DESERT QUEEN, beginning with their first record deal arriving thanks in part to their being hand-picked from the self-release underground by ZAKK SABBATH’s Rob Blasko. Their debut full-length “Secrets of the Black Moon” arrived in 2021 and was immediately heaped with praise in the US and Europe, which kicked the doors open to touring and invitations to prestigious festivals both domestic and abroad. In March 2022, the Texans embarked on their first tour in support of SASQUATCH on the US West Coast. Only two months later, HIGH DESERT QUEEN hit the roads of Europe as a headliner in June 2022, with a return to the other side of the Atlantic with FATSO JETSON in 2023. Underlining the fast rise of this live monster, the newcomers were booked for Desertfest London (UK) and Berlin (DE) and the Truckfighters’ Fuzz Festival (SE) among many others.
Answering the exponentially multiplying requests for new material from their steadily growing following, HIGH DESERT QUEEN flanked their live activities with the “Turned to Stone Ch. 8” split release with BLUE HERON, and contributed a track to “Best of Soundgarden Redux”, the latest installment of the bestselling Magnetic Eye Records Redux series.
With “Palm Reader”, HIGH DESERT QUEEN have made a quantum leap in their evolution as the Texans found the perfect balance between the well-loved legacy of the desert rock genre and carving out their very own path. Fueled by the power and spirit of live music, this album rocks as hard and honestly as can be done.
Tracklist:
- Ancient Aliens
- Death Perception
- Head Honcho
- Palm Reader
- Time Waster
- Tuesday Night Blues
- Solar Rain
Line-up:
Ryan Garney – vocals
Phil Hook – drums
Morgan Miller – bass
Rusty Miller – guitar
HIGH DESERT QUEEN live:
31 MAY 2024 Bryan, TX (US) The 101
01 JUN 2024 San Antonio, TX (US) The Amp Room
02 JUN 2024 New Braunfels, TX (US) Guadalupe Brewery
13 JUL 2024 Erfurt (DE) Stoned from the Underground Festival
26 JUL 2024 Neuensee (DE) Rock im Wald Festival
21 SEP 2024 Austin, TX (US) Far Out Lounge, RippleFest Texas
For more info visit:
www.highdesertqueen.com
www.facebook.com/highdesertqueen
www.instagram.com/highdesertqueen
