Griffen Palmer - Unlearn

Star of NBC’s Songland and Big Loud’s latest prodigy, Griffen Palmer emerges with his debut album Unlearn, a first in-depth glimpse into the Ontarian’s highly-acclaimed lyricism. Having secured writing cuts for the likes of Keith Urban, Florida Georgia Line and Mackenzie Porter, there’s a Music City buzz building around Palmer, and with that success comes great expectation.

Apart from on opener 'Second Guessing', there’s no long list of co-writers on the credits, that’s for sure. A chance meeting with mega-hit songwriter Geoff Warburton at a house party opened a dream door for the budding singer-songwriter, forming the basis for this project on which Warburton co-wrote every track. His touch of pop-leaning know-how and melodic mastery adds a layer of very strong mainstream appeal.

The title track has all the ingredients of a smash hit; a stadium-ready chorus that explodes into life, as Palmer gushes over a fairytale relationship that changed a lost lover’s fortunes. ‘25 To Life’ is another highlight, as Palmer goes all-in for his life partner with some clever lyricism; “If loving you is a crime / give me 25 to life with you” It’s these moments of nuance and transparency on a personal level where Palmer shines artistically, something that’s wonderfully endearing when it hits the spot.

In-house producer Joey Moi’s slick expertise provides radio-potential hits aplenty, with the likes of ‘By the Way’ and ‘Small Town After All’ packing in the infectious hooks that all chart-toppers require. ‘How Many Beers’ is also an instant favourite, with its novel take on a breakup providing much more depth than the title suggests. It possesses an absolutely killer, electric guitar-driven melody, too.

But you only get one chance to make a first impression; listeners need to hear artistic boundaries being stretched. At times, a lack of bravery in the subject matter leaves much to be desired. Country Music wasn’t longing for another ‘taking a girl home from the bar’ song in ‘Came Here to Leave,’ and ‘Late To The Party’ feels rather generic and far too safe for a songwriter of Palmers’ calibre.

Unlearn teases immense potential, whilst still leaving much to be discovered. Clearly a complex, sophisticated songwriter, there’s just enough there to reel you in and leave you wanting more. Whilst the choice of material for a short 10-track project could be sharper, when Palmer is on it, he’s really on it.

Palmer certainly has a lot more to unleash and is definitely a talent to keep an eye on.

6/10

Griffen Palmer's 2023 album, Unlearn, is released April 28th via Big Loud Records.

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