Come Sit On A Park Bench With Palmyra

Palmyra is a folk trio coming from the small are a of Floyd, Virginia. They are releasing an album in June titled "Shenandoah", and have so far released "Saratoga". Now they're coming at you with the latest release "Park Bench".

This song is a letter from Sasha, who writes about their identity as a non-binary person in the world. You can hear things throughout the song that tie back to that theme. The first line, for example, talks about hands that are neither male nor female, yet somewhere in between. Later in the song they sing about a burden that not even their broad shoulders can carry. Themes like these are ever present in the lives of non-binary individuals, and anyone on the outskirts of what is deemed normal.

The songs starts off like any folk song, with some guitar and vocals. You think you know what you're getting into. Then the trio pumps up the intensity and lands somewhere on the edge of folk and pop, before dialing it back into the familiar fold realm. This change happens a few more times and keeps the music interesting as the song progresses.

It is the intent of the trio to give listeners an authentic experience and try to capture the magic of their live shows within this album. This song is evident of that goal. Towards the end you hear some laughter as they sing. some may consider this unprofessional and a novice mistake; when in actuality it adds layers and authenticity to the vulnerability of the songwriter and message.