Spring Green band’s “True Love Counterfeit” blends bittersweet nostalgia with sharpened craft
Spring Green-based indie rock band Violet Palms dropped their latest single, “True Love Counterfeit,” on Friday, June 27, offering a first listen from their upcoming sophomore album By Design And Accidental, due out Sept. 26.
The new track leans into the band’s growing maturity, both in sound and lyricism. While their 2023 debut Compassion Fatigue embraced spontaneity and a “don’t think about it too much” ethos, the group’s follow-up effort walks the line between deliberate craft and creative intuition—earning the title By Design And Accidental, a phrase lifted straight from the new single.
Read our review of Violet Palms’ debut album:
In classic Violet Palms style, the music is tight, catchy and layered, pairing indie rock textures with nostalgic nods to early-2000s alt. “True Love Counterfeit” is a bittersweet reflection on fleeting romance, with a soaring chorus that’s both hooky and quietly devastating. As guitarist/vocalist Ben Feiner puts it, it’s “an ode to weird love triangles—occasions that feel perfect in the moment but were never meant to last.”
The band—Feiner, Marcus Truschinski (vocals), Michael Mertens (drums), Tim Gittings (bass), and Craig Benzine (guitar)—has been steadily gaining momentum since their first packed hometown show in 2022. They’ve quickly built a name across the region for their earnest lyricism, polished musicianship and engaging live performances. Each member brings a distinct musical background to the table, allowing Violet Palms to straddle the lines between indie, alt-rock and emotionally driven pop.
“‘True Love Counterfeit’ was almost fully formed the first time I heard it,” said Truschinski. “The chorus is so powerful—upbeat yet tinged with sadness. It’s a blend of emotions that feels both strong and poignantly simple.”
Recorded over a whirlwind weekend at Madison’s Blast House Studios and finalized at Feiner’s home studio Black and White Pets, the track showcases tighter production and more intricate arrangements than their previous work. Mertens’ drumming adds emotional punctuation, with a half-time china cymbal hit giving the chorus its off-kilter tension. Benzine’s guitar lines glide under the melody while Gittings’ bass lends a subtle groove, grounding the track’s emotional weight.
The single’s lyrics bring together themes of heartbreak, memory, and nostalgia:
Trying to find the sunlight in all this
Just wanted to feel happy for a little bit
Made all of our true love counterfeit
Here’s to never getting over it
It’s a sentiment likely to resonate with fans of The Strokes, Death Cab for Cutie, and The Black Keys—particularly their more recent work. Those drawn to The Black Keys’ “The Night Before” or The Strokes’ “Late Nite” will feel right at home in Violet Palms’ sonic palette. Listeners will find themselves drawn in by the track’s emotional honesty and lingering melody, a hallmark of the band’s sound.
The release marks the first new music from Violet Palms in over a year, and teases what’s to come from the fifteen-track By Design And Accidental, which includes titles like “Late to the Party,” “Parking Lot,” and “Marigold (soft).” Feiner explained that many of the songs reflect on the strange duality of intentional decisions and unexpected moments that shape our lives—a theme threaded throughout both the music and the band’s own evolution.
“Everything came together with more intention this time,” said Feiner. “We’re still about having fun and chasing down ideas that excite us, but we’re also thinking a little more about what we’re saying and how we say it. There’s a kind of creative friction that comes from trying to grow while staying true to what got you started in the first place.”
Adding a personal touch to the release, the single’s cover artwork was created by Kyle Adams, owner of Spring Green award-winning sandwich shop Wander Provisions and Feiner’s partner.
In preparation for the full album release in September, Violet Palms plans to schedule a release show in Spring Green, echoing the sold-out energy of their 2023 debut event at Slowpoke Lounge & Cabaret. Details are expected later this summer.
Fans can stream “True Love Counterfeit” on all major platforms. For album updates, show announcements and merchandise, visit violetpalmsband.com or follow the band on social media.
