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| image: peaceforeverever.co.uk |
B-town’s new-kids-on-the-block bagged their first taste of
critical acclaim in the early months of 2012 when they were described by The
Guardian as “the future of indie.” Countless music bloggers soon jumped on the
bandwagon, comparing them to the likes of Foals, WU LYF and Vampire Weekend – 3
veterans of the ‘small-time’ indie scene. However; It wasn’t until late 2012,
when they released their debut EP ‘Delicious’ and announced that they would be
opening the 12 annual NME tour dates that the girls with the nose rings, tie
dye shirts and yin-yang symbols on either end of their twitter names believed
the hype of this Brummie quartet.
I have to say; my first impressions of Peace based on their
debut single ‘Follow Baby’ and the Delicious EP were surprisingly high
considering they are just another group of lads in the whirlwind of indie bands
that have been arising from Britain in the last 12 months, but I just felt that
they were lacking in originality. However, my initial perception was well and
truly shat on when I saw them live at Manchester Academy on the second date of
the NME Awards Tour which has become quite a regular night out for me in the
past few years due to its electric atmosphere and its ability to breed
up-and-coming bands into massive headline acts. Despite the fact that I
unfortunately missed 3 quarters worth of Peace’s already miniscule set (which
was inevitable given Greater Manchester’s lack of reliable public transport and
the time it takes me and my friends to get ready) what I did manage to catch
was well and truly mind blowing. From the high-energy ending of ‘Wraith’ to the
mellow, love infused lyrics of ‘California Daze,’ finished off by the engaging,
almost Brit-pop inspired guitars of ‘Follow Baby,’ Peace definitely did not
disappoint. With this in mind, I, a self-confessed Peace fan, was more
than keen to hear what they had to say for themselves in the form of their
debut album ‘In Love’ which is set for release on the 25th of March.
The album opens with potential summer anthem ‘Higher Than
the Sun’ which sounds like it was made to be played to hundreds of British
festival-goers fist pumping in the warm rays of the sun after a couple of
Kopparbergs (sounds a lot nicer than it would be in reality if we’re talking
Britain, maybe fist pumping in the freezing cold gusts of wind while it pisses
it down/snows, anything is possible, even in August.) That aside, this track
really does encapsulate everything you would want from a 2013 indie tune and it
certainly revved me up to continue listening to the album. I was glad to see
that the second track on the record was ‘Follow Baby,’ a re-mastered version
with clearer, louder vocals against the riffs, however, I cannot decide whether
it works better than the deeper, more obscure original or not. The third track
of the album ‘Lovesick,’ reinforces the summer vibes of the opener with lyrics
like “I wanna get love sick with you” which I feel are reminiscent of the
lovey-dovey charm of ‘California Daze.’ I also sense influences of The Cure on
this track as the form of the vocals and the nature of the lyrics are loosely resonant
of their 1992 hit, ‘Friday I’m in Love.’ ‘Float Forever,’ which is a personal
favourite of mine after the first couple of listens, establishes Peace as more
than just your average indie band – although it’s intro does depict the
soundtrack to an emotional scene of ‘SpongeBob Square Pants’. It emphasizes
their ability to make a genuinely good powerful track that wouldn’t sound out
of place in a stadium surrounding. Not only this but Peace have shown that they
can make a bloody good indie jam as well as the more anthemic and influential
tracks they have graced us with on this record. This is evident in tracks such
as ‘Delicious,’ and ‘Waste of Paint.’ The album concludes with the delicate
guitar sounds of ‘California Daze’ which I feel is the perfect culmination to
an album full of summer highs and big, boastful indie anthems. This track is
definitely one of Peace’s more admirable works and it offers a more unique
perspective on the regular indie love song we’re all used to. It has rightfully
earned its place on the album for sure.
It is evident that Peace have acquired some influences from
bands like Oasis and Blur in the making of this album, especially on tracks
such as ‘Float Forever’ and ‘Sugarstone,’ but the question you have to ask
yourself is, what is the harm in knowing your history? I see too many bands get
slated for having a particular sound that could be construed as somebody
else’s, but we all have influences, don’t we? What I am trying to say is, there
are some traces of 90’s Brit-pop psychedelia within this record but Peace have
definitely built on that idea and created something much more unique and
powerful than I anticipated. With new bands flying at us left right and centre
like Palma Violets, Swim Deep and Haim, Peace are definitely one of the
front-runners in this line up of fresh indie sounds for 2013 and this album has
certainly left me with a ridiculous hunger for marvellous weather (if we’re
lucky) and the glory of dirt ridden wellies along with the idea living in a
tent for the weekend while your favourite bands do their thing. Peace, I am
expecting big things from you in the future.
***
10/10
