Hearts of Palm UK profile picture

Hearts of Palm UK

don't ask about the U.K....

About Me


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We won the 2007 GenArt & Biore Undiscover/Discover Contest!

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Three girls, three keyboards, and a lot of sparkle and sequins. Hearts of Palm UK are Erica Elektra (vocals, keyboard, guitar), Frankie Rose (glockenspiel, keyboard, percussion) and Billy Kaye (cello, autoharp, keyboard). Evoking the nostalgia of times gone by, the trio fuses the intensity of electro with the sweetness of lo-fi indie pop. Their work has drawn comparisons to Stars, Camera Obscura, The Postal Service, Metric and even Cyndi Lauper!
The story goes like this:
Erica was playing music, experimenting with electronic beats and pop melodies. After playing with a bunch of random musicians she’d met on Craigslist, she decided that it was high time to switch gears and recruit her best girl and childhood friend, Frankie Rose. And my, did Frankie Rose have a touch for percussion! They had a good run as a duo, playing CMJ in 2007 and winning the title of best “undiscovered” female music talent in America in a contest sponsored by GenArt & Biore Skin Care.
Band life as a twosome was nice, but the girls were itching to add more live instrumentation to their line-up. In walked Billy Kaye - another friend and a veritable one-woman string section. Now HOPUK is a trio made in heaven. Three girls having fun dressing up and making music for the world.
The ladies are soon to be releasing their first full-length album, For Life, in the Fall of 2008.
Go HOPUK, go!!!
"It's no secret what Echo Park-based Elektra and band mate Frankie Rose are doing -- twee pop with honeyed vocals, tart lyrics and twitchy beats. It might remind you of the likes of Talulah Gosh, Lali Puna or Look Blue Go Purple."
- Los Angeles Times
"the electro-pop duo have generated a buzz on the West Coast..."
- CMJ.com
"...sound like they've spent some time listening to Postal Service and The Notwist..."
- The Toronto Star
"Though they're not from the UK (and please don't ask), the ladies of Echo Park duo Hearts of Palm UK still purr and bounce through melancholy, retro pop tunes like cotton candy hurtling through a thunderstorm.
- Flavorpill LA
"You'd think with all the electronic bits in LA indie pop duo Hearts of Palm UK's songs that they might sound better on your stereo or in your car than in-person at some music venue, but you know what? They're pretty amazing live. Lead singer Erica Elektra's voice is as clear as a fucking bell and, you know, who isn't a complete sucker for the glockenspiel?"
- Radio Free Silver Lake, Band of the Week
"How do you make an indie pop band? Take some Camera Obscura, mix in some Stereolab, add a pinch of Go-Gos and some Human League… voila! Hearts of Palm UK."
- Best Week Ever (VH1)
"Hearts of Palm UK are heading down a promising path: a female duo comprised of Erica Elektra and Frankie Rose, the two create upbeat indie-electro pop that does a great job of drawing the listener in, with melodies occasionally hinting at the beauty of The Postal Service. Erica Elektra owns the stage, with a beautiful voice and solid guitar/keyboard work."
- Glide Magazine
"If a picture paints a thousand words then check out the picture accompanying this post, it sums Hearts of Palm UK up perfectly, pure bontempi bubblegum....Once they let rip then hold onto your bobbie pins girls because Hearts of Palm U.K. are coming to steal your boyfriends."
- The Devil Has the Best Tuna
"...lovely lo-fi-pop with electro-beats, completed with a hint of dance and two spoons full of folk."
- Music of the Moment
"I have one word to describe this electro-pop duo - adorable. Hearts Of Palm UK is highly recommended for fans of other chicky groups like Au Revoir Simone."
- 5 Acts
"Erica, who writes the songs, sang and played keys and guitar with an impish twinkle in her eyes. The serene Frankie Rose played a host of other instruments from glockenspiel to guiro. The result was smoothly choreographed, cleanly delivered, sweet electronic pop, buoyed by Erica's animated personality. I like to see the ladies bringing beauty and class to the rock stage. "
- Speed of Dark
"They play pleasant and user friendly indie-pop, like a Camera Obscura meets Cat Power type thing going on..."
- Comfort Comes
"Fronted by Erica Elektra, Hearts of Palm, play toe-tapping, laptop indie-pop, reminiscent of Camera Obscura, Stars, and maybe even a little Giant Drag (the title of their single is titled "Jonathan (the fucking motherfucker). Elektra has a gorgeous voice and a fully-formed knack for melody and in my opinion, the duo stole the show...The live show is impossibly pleasant, song after song of breezy, slightly melancholic pop, full of shimmering electronic melodies and catchy hooks certain to please even the most jaded of listeners. If you like the bands referenced above, I highly encourage you to check out Hearts of Palm."
- The Passion of the Weiss
"Hearts of Palm UK play pleasant dancey, lo-fi, electro-folk."
- You Set The Scene

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My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 10/31/2003
Band Website: heartsofpalmuk.com
Band Members: Erica Elektra: vocals, keyboard, beats, omnichord, guitar
Frankie Rose: glockenspiel, cowbell, keyboard, shaker, tambourine, triangle
Billy Kaye: cello, autoharp, keyboard
Influences: Mary Timony, Helium, Daft Punk, The Notwist, Stars, Mirah, Ratatat, The Knife, Pinback, Metric, The Postal Service, Scrabbel, Loquat, The Aislers Set, The Stills, Iron & Wine, Annie, The Reindeer Section, The Softies, The Go-Go's, The Bangles, hey willpower, Blonde Redhead, Nada Surf, Eliott Smith, Nick Drake, Thievery Corporation, Astrid Gilberto, April March, Bedhead, The Rachel's, Sufjan Stevens, Ladytron, Belle & Sebastian, Sondre Lerche, Brendan Benson, Broadcast, The Whitest Boy Alive, Camera Obscura, Art in Manila, Versus, Cocteau Twins, The Poems, The Postmarks, Elvis Perkins, Jeff Hanson, Fionn Regan, Brittle Stars, The Sea and Cake
Sounds Like: Cyndi Lauper 2000.
Record Label: Hypnote Recording Concern
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

So yeah, Erica got electrocuted& again!

First, the backstory: Once upon a time, I lived in a basement apartment in New York's lower east side.  On a stormy Saturday afternoon, I sat on my bed playing bass and singing some songs& then ...
Posted by Hearts of Palm UK on Fri, 23 May 2008 05:11:00 PST

new song in honor of Super Tuesday!

..> ..> Hello everyone,We were commissioned to write a song about the upcoming presidential primary/caucus event that is known as Super Tuesday. We were told that all the states had to be mentioned...
Posted by Hearts of Palm UK on Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:55:00 PST

the most exciting thing to happen to us...since like...ever!

Some of you may remember that over the summer, we (Hearts of Palm UK) were chosen as semi-finalists, and then finalists in the GenArt & Biore Undiscover/Discover contest.The contest was all about ...
Posted by Hearts of Palm UK on Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:24:00 PST

on the radio...

We were on public radio's "Offramp" this past Saturday... http://www.publicradio.org/tools/media/player/kpcc/news/show s/offramp/2007/09/20070908_offramp.ram The show is 48 minutes long, and you can he...
Posted by Hearts of Palm UK on Mon, 10 Sep 2007 03:52:00 PST

CMJ.com

we won a little contest from CMJ - this was posted on 6/15/07 on CMJ.com   http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=3954727 4   Hearts Of Palm UK Take SonicbidsStory by: Taylor M...
Posted by Hearts of Palm UK on Tue, 19 Jun 2007 04:33:00 PST

Los Angeles Times, bitches! (and a free song to download)

We were in the Los Angeles Times "Buzz Bands" blog last Thursday (5/17/07)! Check it out and get a download of one of our songs:http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/buzzbands/Ears Wide Open: Hearts of Palm...
Posted by Hearts of Palm UK on Mon, 21 May 2007 12:26:00 PST

We're high brow and shit.

Today, Hearts of Palm UK made their national debut on.... Marketplace!   That's right!  The NPR program that's all about money and stuff.     check it out: http://www.publicra...
Posted by Hearts of Palm UK on Thu, 02 Nov 2006 03:45:00 PST