Punk And Harmony: Rising Rock Trio Palberta Finds A Sweet Spot

Just as soon as you think you have a frame of reference for Palberta's sound, it swerves into an entirely new direction. The group's idiosyncratic punk draws comparisons to Captain Beefheart and The Raincoats while taking notions from contemporary art-rock bands like Mothers and Palm. But ultimately, Palberta sounds like its three members — Ani Ivry-Block, Lily Konigsberg and Nina Ryser — and their years of working together to craft an utterly unique chemistry with one another.

The group's forthcoming album, , out Jan. 22, leans on pop influences while maintaining its classic Palberta charm. Konigsberg says the music she grew up listening to from her parents' CD collection — especially Liz Phair and Lucinda Williams — influenced the new record, too. "We all got back into that, and heavily listened to those two artists," she says. "I feel like that type of female rock star vibe came through." Ahead of the release of , the three members spoke to NPR Music about their influences and why they could never add another member to the group.