This summer has been a whirlwind for New Jersey-based electronicore outfit Palisades. The group recently completed a run on the Warped Tour that far exceeded their expectations and are touring behind their latest album, Mind Games, later this month. Palisades’ combination of hardcore and electronic music has earned them plaudits among their rapidly expanding fan base, and culminated in the album landing at no. 2 on the Billboard HeatSeekers Chart. If that wasn’t enough for the busy band, they managed to squeeze time into their schedule to record a cover of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” for Punk Goes Pop Vol. 6. 

We caught up with vocalist Lou Miceli after the band returned home from the Warped Tour where we heard about the experience, the group’s evolving sound and what the rest of the year has in store for the group.

How was the Warped Tour? What were the expectations going into it? Did the experience fulfill what you were intending?

Warped Tour was incredible! Going into it we didn't really know what to expect. It turned out to be a lot more work than I think we all thought, but it was way worth it. It definitely lives up to its reputation as the hardest/most exciting tour you'll ever do.

What's the coolest aspect of being on such a large scale tour like that? Is it playing? Meeting new bands and making new friends?

I think it's all three! Playing on a tour as big as Warped gives you the opportunity to play in front of so many people that maybe have never heard of you or have heard of you and never checked you out. It gives kids an opportunity to see their favorite bands and find new favorite bands. It's almost the same with meeting new friends on the Tour as well. We've met so many people in bands/crew/production that have become life long friends that without Warped we would have never met. It's truly such an awesome experience.

Now that the tour is over, what does the immediate future have in-store? 

We head to Japan to headline a festival for two days and start the FRONZILLA Tour on September 18th! We have a lot more in store that we haven't announced yet as well. 

Has there been any time to kick around new song ideas? If so, are they just skeletons or do you think you'll head into the studio some time soon?

Writing on he road is always difficult especially on such a busy tour like Warped, but we've definitely managed to talk about the direction we want to take Palisades on the next album. We're gonna start the writing process as soon as we're back home.

How has your sound evolved from record to record? How do you foresee the growth for your third album?

Our sound I feel like was just a natural evolution. We started as a band that wanted to break in the scene by playing it safe and have evolved into a band that truly has a sound that's hard to describe. We just make music now because we love to make music. We're not held down by something as minuscule as a genre. I think that's what truly makes Palisades, well, Palisades. We go in the studio and up on stage and just have fun with our art.

What's been the most rewarding aspect about playing in this band?

For me, it's been working with these five other insanely talent musicians and being able to call them brothers. Not to mention being able to travel the world and do what we love and give fans an experience when they see or hear us. That makes it all worth while.

Is it difficult to fuse the disparate genres that comprise your sound into one coherent voice you can call your own?

For us it's not—it's something that's always come pretty naturally. We're all extremely different humans. I remember someone told us one time "You're all so weird and different. On paper, you guys shouldn't work as a band, but you do. That's what makes you guys great."