World’s First Cinema have released their new single, “Palm Reader” alongside a music video today. The new track captures sentiments of Hollywood’s golden age while setting the stage for an innovative, dreamlike sound: soft piano juxtaposed with bold and emotive strings weaving an unforgettable story.
“Writing ‘Palm Reader’ was an opportunity to paint the elements we love most into a dramatic portrait. We’ll take every chance we get to breathe a ‘cinematic’ moment into a modern piece of music – and the chorus of ‘Palm Reader’ is one we’re proud of,” says the band on the track. “That sweeping moment when the orchestra rises up to blend with the electronic production and the two worlds of film scoring and pop music collide and crystallize – that’s what we want people to expect from World’s First Cinema.”
When you watch a movie in a crowded theater, you give your undivided attention to the experience itself. Your senses lock into the action on the screen and the sound from the speakers, and you’re completely immersed — making the Los Angeles Theater the perfect home for the Palm Reader video shoot. Directed by Luigi Calabrese and filmed in the gorgeous Los Angeles Theatre – which has a rich history and has been seen in New York, New York (1977), Charlie’s Angels (2000), Mad Men, “Jaded” by Aerosmith (2000), “Delicate” by Taylor Swift (2018), “Black Swan” by BTS (2020), and many more – the music video finds a liminal space between nostalgia and foresight.
World’s First Cinema replicate the moviegoing experience in their music. The Los Angeles-based duo—John Sinclair and Fil Thorpe—project a myriad of intimate emotions across widescreen soundscapes underpinned by scenes of alternative, indie, pop, and electronic. After amassing over 20 million streams and counting and earning widespread acclaim from WONDERLAND., EUPHORIA., Earmilk, The Line of Best Fit, and many more.
“For me, our name elicits a visual,” states Fil. “Imagine a bunch of people sit down in a room. They don’t know what they’re doing, but they’re pointed towards a screen. A film plays, and everyone’s mind is fucking blown. That’s the feeling we want to give. We want hearing our music to be similar to the sensation of going to a movie for the first time ever.”
“We really tried to capture the sensation of sitting in a theater, hearing the opening credits rumble on that bass, and viewing the story in a song,” agrees John.
The pair’s origin story is like something out of a classic flick…
A mutual friend invited John and Fil to a game night, and they naturally started chatting. A few weeks later, they met up for a session, cooking up their 2020 debut single “Can’t Feel Anything.” It eventually generated 2.2 million Spotify streams followed by “Red Run Cold” with 7.5 million Spotify streams. Both songs adorned their debut Rituals EP in 2021. They inspired tastemaker praise with “Supernatural.” Of the latter, The Line of Best Fit urged, “think Panic! at the Disco meets Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ – it’s fun, funky and spooky,” and WONDERLAND. attested, “the L.A.-based duo are redefining pop one theatrical rock melody at a time.” Carrying this momentum into 2022, “Young Beast” generated 1.7 million Spotify streams, and they teamed up with Punctual for the fan favorite “Castles.”
In the end, World’s First Cinema present an escape worthy of the big screen, and you’ll never want the credits to roll.
“We hope you get that post-movie feeling,” they both agree. “After it’s over, you’re light on your feet. You don’t know what hit you, but you’re awestruck, and you want more.”
“Fearless Records is thrilled to welcome World’s First Cinema into the Fearless family,” shares the team at Fearless. “From the musical production to the live show, this band is nothing short of extraordinary and we are excited to support them as they enter this new sonic chapter.”
“We were already huge fans of the other artists here at Fearless – becoming a part of that roster is incredibly exciting,” adds the band. “It’s a thrill to be surrounded by teammates who share our passion for such a dynamic and outlandish project.”