salvia palth’s “last chance to see”, and his allergy to capitalizing titles

Kaysea Suzana | Entertainment Director

Consisting of a tactful trifecta of identities: salvia palth; Adore,1996, and his own identity: Daniel Johann Lines, this New Zealand artist brings another deadpan taste with “last chance to see”. 

Taking after the late author Sylvia Plath, Lines’ depressive, lo-fi rock persona salvia palth does what any good teenage-angst filled songs do: inspire sorrow.

Where “last chance to see” differs from palth’s former work is through a more invigorated use of reverb and texture, as evident in the oxymoronic titled intro, “no-intro”.

Songs like “stabbed in the small of the back” enunciate Lines’ change in style with a twinge of bittersweet hope akin to the flavors of American Football’s “Never Meant”.

palth was intentional in this shift of tone within his music, allegedly having worked and edited this album for over seven years. 

Though palth radiates mellowness, tracks like “i’m going to find out” and “something i had said” elevate a nice rhythm that mimics the satisfying sound of a spinning roulette wheel. 

Admittedly, it is difficult to judge palth’s newest album based on genre since almost every streaming platform, reviewer, or community tends to give different perspectives on where palth lies. 

However, by listening alone, I find his new album to be a smooth and delicate experience.

His lyricism isn’t anything grandiose, and I don’t find his progression or chords to be anything exhilarating. 

Maybe, we’re so accustomed to finding greatness in every single thing, that we tend to overlook quality in the simple things–and that’s the realization I managed to garner from palth.

“you wouldn’t ask a fire to stop” is not a necessarily complex piece but given the additions of the chords and the percussive elements, the song is rich and flavorful.

Definitely one of my favorites from the album, it’s one of the few that I find to have a surprising and interesting progression. The gradual increase of the percussion surfs in like a wave of encouragement that seems to blend in the foam of palth’s multi-layered voice. 

Were he not to have added his textures and his effects, this song and many more in the album would mimic a lackluster as well as a simply monotonous sound.

Often we might want something energetic and awestriking like a gourmet meal from some overpriced restaurant.

To me, this album is like a quaint little sandwich from a warm and moody cafe.

It provides the sustenance with a down-to-earth feeling, and a really humble atmosphere. It reminds you to take your days one at a time, to catch a breath and feel life through your fingertips.

The album is not perfect, and perhaps I wouldn’t play it on repeat. And truthfully, I prefer his more well-known and morose 2013 album “melanchole”.

But it has value, it has character, and it has significance. Most importantly, it does what I think all forms of art should do: touch my soul–and that’s enough for me. 

On Spotify, salvia palth’s note for his album reads “i hope you enjoy my new album of music”

To that I answer: not only has this album been a nice experience to sit down and listen, it has been an insightful one. 

Tl;dr, I quite enjoyed it. 

7/10 @_@