There’s an almost childlike quality to the melody of Palehound’s ‘Natural Disasters’. Its sweetness sits alongside much darker words, creating a bittersweet tension that gives the song its emotional pull.
El Kempner’s vocal delivery feels perfectly judged, leaning into the melody’s innocence and letting the phrasing carry the hurt and frustration. Its restraint gives the words room to land.
Affection after the falling-out
At its heart, ‘Natural Disasters’ reads as a song about a broken friendship where affection has survived the relationship. The narrator is wounded, occasionally barbed, and still trying to reach someone who has become distant. Forgiveness seems possible, perhaps already offered, but it hasn’t brought the two people back together.
What makes it affecting is the willingness to wish the other person happiness, even if their lives remain far apart. There’s care in that sentiment, alongside the sadness of accepting that caring about somebody doesn’t necessarily mean you can keep them close.
The narrator isn’t entirely above the argument either. There’s a knowing edge to the suggestion that this final attempt at communication might simply annoy its recipient. That little flash of frustration makes the tenderness feel human: affection and resentment can exist in the same breath.
The disaster imagery widens the frame. With the world becoming increasingly frightening, a private grudge starts to look painfully small, even as its emotional consequences remain enormous. Kempner’s accompanying explanation places the song in the context of a grown-apart friendship amid climate catastrophes. That sense of wanting connection while there’s still time runs through the writing.
A simple guitar part with real impact
The lead guitar is another highlight. Simple but impactful, it has an overdriven sound that feels pushed almost to the point of excessive compression. To these ears, though, that texture is just right. Its roughness gives the song character and provides a satisfying counterpoint to the sweetness of the melody.
A few soft backing-vocal “aahs” would have suited my taste, although their absence never feels like a weakness. Nothing here lets the song down.
‘Natural Disasters’ captures the uncomfortable feeling of still caring for somebody you can no longer reach. It’s tender, quietly barbed and beautifully judged.
Imminent Infinity rating: 9/10
For more songwriting that finds its strength in intimacy, read our review of Samuel Virgo’s ‘Slip Away’, where understated guitars leave room for the words to do the heavy lifting. I’m also following Bess Atwell’s forthcoming album Cut A Figure and new single ‘Glass’.
‘Natural Disasters’ is the lead single from Palehound’s fifth album, You Sing Like You’re Joking, due on 5 February 2027 via Polyvinyl Record Co. The album was co-produced by El Kempner, Katie Von Schleicher and Julian Fader. The single’s video was directed by Rachel Brown of Water From Your Eyes.
