POCKET PALMA BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE WITH PARO STELAR: WE BRING THE PARTY, NOSTALGIA AND EMOTION

vibecovery_editors June 1, 2025

Pocket Palma, the Zagreb electro-pop duo that has long transcended local borders, returns to its hometown with an exceptional performance on the second day of the Zagreb Music Festival. On Saturday, June 7, he will perform right after J.R. Augusta, and before the grand finale of the evening with Parova Stelar. They will bring their recognizable retro sound and melancholic synth lines to the big open-air stage, but in a fresh, more energetic form, as a duo.

After returning to the original lineup, Pocket Palma continues even stronger. Although the band experienced an internal change, the creative core remained the same, and their mutual musical dynamics became even more intense. Recent concerts have demonstrated that the change in formation has not diminished their strength – in fact, they still manage to convey the same emotion to the audience, now with an added burst of focused energy.

Their current album, “III,” brings the most technically mature and production-cleanest material to date, as well as deeper themes in terms of content. The album explores issues of mental health, queer identity, and internal struggles, conveying the message that emotions are not a weakness, but a strength. The audience recognized this, and the band itself says that they are most pleased when the audience reciprocates with an honest exchange – songs they like to perform, the audience accepts just as strongly.

Pocket Palma has been combining 80s nostalgia with a modern aesthetic for many years. Their style developed organically – through the influences of the music they grew up on, but also that which their parents listened to – bands like Depeche Mode, Simple Minds, Duran Duran and Tears for Fears, all the way to darker forms of electronica and recent performers of the synthwave and darkwave scene – among them Bauhaus, Joy Division, Dead Can Dance, Kraftwerk and Einsturzende Neubauten. Over time, they switched from English to Croatian, but they stress that music has always been their primary channel of expression – lyrics are meaningful, but the key lies in production, emotion, and sound.

The visual identity of the band is just as well thought out as the musical one – from videos and covers to styling and stage performance, everything starts from their hands. Each new project brings a new visual world, and longtime collaborator Benjamin Strike is one of the key people who bring these ideas to life.

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As a queer duo on the regional scene, Pocket Palma does not shy away from talking about topics that are still marginalized. They wear their identity openly and proudly, and their audience, essentially part of the LGBTQIA+ community, recognizes them as authentic representatives of music that breaks down boundaries while retaining emotional depth.

Although their sound is recognizable, they plan to explore new genre territories in the future, ranging from post-punk, darkwave, and Britpop to the neo-psychedelia of the 1990s. Currently, they are mostly inspired by bands such as Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Blur, as well as newer artists like Sam Fender and JAWS, so they would like to explore that direction. They are no strangers to experimentation, and they are most inspired by performers who combine atmosphere with emotion. They are also open to collaborations with pop and trap artists, wanting to combine an alternative aesthetic with a mainstream sensibility – and thus further expand the boundaries of their sound.

For the upcoming performance at the Zagreb Music Fest, they have announced a set that will combine fan-favorite songs with those that hold the most personal meaning for them. It will be, as they say, a party, nostalgia, melancholy, and ecstasy – all at once. Although the audience will see only two people on stage, the energy will be stronger than ever.

Zagreb Music Fest takes place on Saturday, June 7, at Zagreb’s Jarun, and the second day of the festival is led by Parov Stelar, featuring performances by J.R. Augusta, Pocket Palma, El Siciliana, and DJ Frxa. The program starts at 18:00, with Pocket Palma performing at 20:45. Tickets are available through the Entrio system.