Sunday 19 May 2013

Album Review! Peace - 'In Love'



B-Town band 'Peace' lead on from their well-received EP 'Delicious', creating a mixture of atmospheric, psychedelic guitar anthems and catchy, heartwarming numbers you just can't help but sing along to. So fruity, so delicious.
8/10
Formed in Kiddeminster, the four boys from Peace have quickly began to aid shape the music scene in Birmingham - also know as B-Town - alongside bands such as 'Swim Deep' and 'JAWS'. Returning to 7th September 2012, 'Delicious' was released on Columbia. The four songs included (one being a fantastic restructuring of Binary Finary's trance classic '1998') proved to the public that they were bringing something new and exciting to the music scene.

What exactly were they going to bring to the table next?

In Love.

As a beautiful follow-up to a truly beautiful EP, 'In Love' shows characteristics of Hendrix's guitar work - juicy riffs and bends here, there and everywhere. There is also a Vampire Weekend-like feeling which radiates from the whole album, which is something everybody loves. Balanced with a rip-roaring bass and a Bonham inspired drummer leaves us with the vocals, provided by the brilliantly flamboyant Harrison Koisser. The band has a brilliant line-up to say the least. Introducing the album is the track 'Higher Than The Sun'. This song takes no time in powering into the heart of the album. Within seconds, the iconic sound of Peace is realised. Whilst the verses in the song are fairly calm, the chorus successfully juxtaposes this. A short break emerges between the two. A pause, which is used to charge the chant "Higher Than The Sun!" After seeing 'Peace' live, I can vouch this is thoroughly needed. It seems this is something the band does spectacularly - giving the listener goosebumps. It just makes you want to reach for the sky. Simplicity is the key. 4 words achieve a mass amount.

Another one of my favourites is 'Lovesick'. Being the shortest track on the album, this song is due to become the band's hit by getting the job done instantly. Koisser's vocals are dreamy and seem relaxed, as brother Sam and drummer Dom create an underlying melody which is then repeated by Harrison. "I wanna get lovesick with you" shows the story of an early relationship; a blossoming of love. The song is uplifting and refreshing, which contrasts with the somewhat grimy guitar. 1:57 proves Koisser's talent to uplift an audience, by reaching higher in his range and reaching the climax of the song. This possibly is my favourite part of the whole album.

I also love 'Delicious', track 7. The instant use of the sampling creates a tropical effect to the song. Backed up by the usual employment of falsetto vocals provided by Dom and Sam again, the chorus is quick to make you want to jump up and down frantically. I love how the choruses hit you with a wall of sound, bursting powerfully into your ears - waking you up to say the least. Peace have definitely found their sound. And what a beautiful sound it is. This song really highlights the band's poppy side, similarly with 'Lovesick'. They have gained themselves a signature sound which is built up of heavy reverb and distortion, backed up with thrashing drums. By showing this throughout the album, all the songs seem to fit together perfectly, which ensures the album smoothly flows between the songs. I'm really happy with the additions to In Love, songs such as 'Delicious' and 'Toxic' really show the talent they hold, whether this is in the screeching guitar solos or the brilliant use of their huge effects boards. They create a great, atmospheric feeling, and are proving them to be a massive inspiration to other bands too.

The penultimate song 'Scumbag' is probably (and surprisingly) my overall favourite song on the album. The drums, which are repetitive and driving, stay a constant throughout, until Peace supply us with what they're great at. Changing a song, and building it into something huge within seconds. 2.23, a subtle and obviously well-planned drop in the song leads the tune into a warm, fuzzy concoction of guitar panning from left-to-right as if you're planted in the center of the action. We hear a member state "that's a sick ending" at 3:19. My thoughts here are "fuck, I agree". Whilst there's not much going on through the majority of the song, from Peace's earlier tracks on 'In Love', you know that something wonderful is brewing.

As a debut album, Peace have delivered. In my opinion, 'In Love' is perfect for the boys' sound, and a perfect way of kicking of their career. It will be really interesting to see how they evolve after seeing the change between songs of 'Delicious' such as Bloodshake (which is kindly added to the Deluxe Edition) and Waste of Paint. I have become a massive fan of Peace since I discovered them a few months ago, and their live performances live up to the studio recordings. Creating a great first impression is important, and it's obvious that they understood since the release of 'Delicious'. I will definitely be at the front barrier for their show at Leeds festival this summer.

I am in love with 'In Love'.
Ellis Cullen

For fans of:
- Foals
- Tribes
- JAWS
- Swim Deep

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