Declan Palmer Talks “Landmine,” Weapon, and Learning to Trust His Own Instincts

The new single Landmine opens the door to Weapon, Declan’s next EP, and immediately pushes his alt-pop world somewhere darker. He wrote, recorded, produced, and mixed the track himself in his home studio, eventually sending it to Josh Goode for mastering. What started as a beat Declan wasn’t completely sold on changed once he pitched the entire thing down, taking the drums and bass with it and leaving behind the low, murky weight that now defines the song.

“Since I pitched the drums and bass down with the rest of the beat, it made them super low and muddy, and it just felt like it was perfect for the mood I wanted,” Declan tells Everyday Jams. “This was one of those times where it was just perfect and exceeded my expectations.”

That slightly submerged feeling became more than a production choice. In the intro, the song drops dramatically in key, something Declan says made him feel like he was “being submerged in water.” That image eventually found its way into the visual world too, with Declan lying in water in the video.

Turning the Danger Inward

The production may be darker, but the more interesting shift on “Landmine” is in the writing.

Rather than placing blame somewhere else, Declan turns the story back on himself. The song came partly from processing guilt after becoming romantically involved with someone who was already in a relationship, alongside a broader fear of getting too attached and becoming the person who complicates everything.

“I like to think I am in the right a lot of the time, but at some point you keep having failed relationships and start to wonder if you’re the problem,” Declan says. “I thought it was a cool exercise to flip the narrative on that.”

But “Landmine” is not necessarily Declan declaring himself destructive. It is more about what happens when one bad decision becomes evidence for a much bigger story you start telling yourself.

“I think the song is about doing one or two things that are destructive and then spiraling and thinking you are inherently a destructive person,” he explains. “Basically just all or none thinking.”

That tension gives the track its weight. Guilt is there, but so is exaggeration. Self-awareness starts slipping into self-punishment.

Declan did not even sit down intending to write directly about the situation. He says the connection only became obvious after finishing the verse.

“I think I was mainly documenting the situation while also taking a little bit of responsibility.”

Making the Riskier Idea Anyway

There is also a looseness to the way Declan made “Landmine” that separates it from his previous project, Scarred / Shining.

He says producing and recording are now the most instinctive parts of his process, and this time around he spent less time endlessly rebuilding the first demo.

Working alone seems to help.

“Working alone makes it easier for me to experiment with more uncomfortable and vulnerable ideas for sure,” Declan says. “Sometimes when I’m working with other people I am more reserved with risky or goofy ideas I have.”

He even points to the central “I’m a landmine” idea as something he might have second-guessed in a room full of people.

That willingness to follow an idea before deciding whether it is too weird, too dark, or too much feels central to where Declan is heading now.

Entering the World of Weapon

“Landmine” is only the beginning.

Declan describes it as the introduction to Weapon, a project he wants to feel more honest and dimensional than what came before. The visual side is being treated just as intentionally, with connected teaser videos and a larger story unfolding around the EP.

“Landmine is the introduction to Weapon,” Declan says. “I think it sets the tone for the EP.”

He is keeping some things back too, including a feature he is especially excited about and more of the story that will unfold through the videos.

The title Weapon comes from a similar emotional place as “Landmine,” but Declan sees it as something broader, with room for multiple meanings across the project.

It also arrives at a transitional point personally. Declan recently graduated college and is figuring out what his writing looks like as he moves further into adult life and his creative community in Los Angeles. Two songs on the EP even began as song starters he originally made for other artists, while other collaborators on the record came from relationships he built after moving to the city.

“I want to start branching out and writing songs about more than just relationships,” Declan says. “I think Weapon is a good start.”

“Landmine” makes a convincing case for that evolution. It is darker without feeling forced, more self-critical without pretending to have everything figured out, and confident enough to leave some roughness intact.

For Declan, that seems to be the point of this chapter: trust the instinct, follow the uncomfortable idea, and see where it leads.

“Landmine” is out now. Stream Declan Palmer’s latest release and keep an eye out for Weapon and the next pieces of its visual world.

Photography: @emxriii