Palaye Royale – Dead To Me

Following their cover of Smashing Pumpkins’ opus “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” Palaye Royale revealed their first offering off their surprise EP, Sextape.

“Dead To Me” is an emotionally raw and sonically experimental track–never meant for release. “It's funny. I never intended on [Dead To Me] coming out. I never really did.” Frontman Remmington Leith explains in an interview with Klubnova at Rock for People 2024, “It was kind of like my own personal journal entry. I sent the lyrics to my producer and he's like, ‘You know, this is great. Let's put it down.’ I just had it sitting for a while, and then I think the head of [Sumerian Records] heard the song and went, ‘Why the fuck is this not out?’ I was just like, well it's very personal and I just didn't really... He goes, ‘That's the whole point! People want to hear personal shit!’ It's funny because I've moved to a such a better place in my life, so it's kind of nostalgic, looking back on a different part of my life. Weirdly I'm just in the happiest point I think I've been in my life.”

The instrumental remains calm, making space for the aggressive vocals. Leith experiments with the delivery, adding rapping to the verses, which fade to screams at the tail. The chorus slows for a moment as he sings, “Was it all in my head? / Was it meant to be? / Thought I'd love you til death / Now you're dead to me.”

On December 5, 2023, they released their cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer,” with Sextape arriving three days later. It contained two original songs alongside three covers: the aforementioned “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails, “Stripped” by Depeche Mode, and “Season Of The Witch” by Donovan. The EP marked a new chapter for the band, outlined by “Dead To Me.”