Playing shimmering pop-infused indie rock informed by vintage synth pop and contemporary electronica, Painted Palms is the creation of Reese Donohue and Christopher Prudhomme, cousins whose story demonstrates how technology has changed the rules in the ways artists can collaborate. Both Donohue and Prudhomme were born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana; their families were close and as they grew up, the cousins spent plenty of time together listening to and talking about music. Years later, Donohue moved to California to attend college, while Prudhomme stayed in Louisiana; both were involved in musical projects, and would send each other samples of their work by email. In 2009, Donohue was home for winter break, and he and Prudhomme were catching up at a family dinner. With some time to pass before mealtime, the two began working on a song on Prudhomme's digital recording setup; by the end of the evening, the two had written and recorded the song "Falling Asleep," and they realized their collaboration had potential. Donohue soon returned to college, but he and Prudhomme continued to work together from a distance, passing files of loops and melodies back and forth on line. Eventually, Donohue and Prudhomme completed a five song EP, and they submitted their work to a popular music blog, calling the EP Canopy and using the collaborative handle Painted Palms.