The evolution of a band and their music is one of the most fascinating things to see. Sometimes they evolve for the better, and other times for the worse. There are even times when a band’s evolution doesn’t do anything but make them more interesting. This area is where I see “From 2 to 3,” the most recent LP from Peach Pit, fitting into their discography.
Based in Vancouver, the band is composed of four high school friends who decided to start playing music one day in 2014. Neil Smith (vocals, rhythm guitar) and Peter Wilton (bass) used to be Amazon delivery drivers, Christopher Vanderkooy (guitar) worked at a brewery and Mike Pascuzzi (drums) was a carpenter. They quit their jobs to go on tour for their first LP “Being So Normal,” and the band has not turned back ever since.
These are just regular guys who picked up some instruments and started playing (which is part of the reason why they are so great). This is an image that is so crucial to their visual and lyrical image. Similar to the lyrics of artists like Phoebe Bridgers or Lucy Dacus, the band uses everyday imagery to convey hard-to-explain emotions or relay anecdotes of love and loss.
If you don’t listen closely enough, you could lose a lot of the quality and depth of the songs. Peach Pit is great for background studying, but they’re also great for serious listening. They’ve consistently been putting out quality songs for as long as I’ve known them, and I was ecstatic for this new album. I was not disappointed in the slightest.
Peach Pit has been known for their surf rock elements, and this new album seemingly extends further into the musical world with the addition of elements like those found in country or folk music. This is perhaps meant to harken back to frontman Neil Smith’s days in the folk band Dogwood and Dahlia. The tracks are paced well, with a mix of upbeat bops and slower, more somber melodies.
The album’s singles — “Up Granville,” “Look Out!” and “Vickie” — display the band’s evolution quite well. There is an obvious maintenance of their familiar sound with the added bouncy, folksy elements. Tales of everyday life with the names of friends, streets and familiar places take on a different shape with the emotional undertones exhibited by the lyrical content and instrumentation.
I have to be quite honest: While I know I like this album, I still don’t fully know how I feel about it, and I’m completely fine with this reality. I understand that, for many, this concept can be quite frustrating. Many people want to listen to a song a few times and be able to understand everything as it is presented. With Peach Pit, it is usually more complicated.
To paraphrase “Shrek,” Peach Pit’s music is like an onion: It has layers. When you first listen to their record, you can usually grasp the general message of the song from the instrumentation and the smooth, soft tones of Smith’s voice. Understanding the situations they are discussing is next, you begin to see scenes play out in front of you: a conversation with your significant other, hanging out with your best friend or lamenting about life gone wrong.
In the final layer is where I find Peach Pit’s beauty and genius. Somehow, in some way, they know what I’m thinking. These scenes rushing through my head have been seen before, and I can picture exactly what Smith croons about. Peach Pit is the ordinary turned extraordinary. I love them for how beautiful their execution is and the genuine way in which they play their music.
If you haven’t listened to Peach Pit before, “From 2 to 3” is a wonderful starting point, and it has proved to be an innovative and enchanting addition to their repertoire.
Title: “From 2 to 3”
Artist: Peach Pit
Label: RCA Records
Favorite tracks: “Pepsi on the House,” “From 2 to 3,” “Lips Like Yours”
If you like: The Backseat Lovers, Wallows, Hippo Campus
Shamrocks: 4 out of 5
‘From 2 to 3’: The ordinary turned extraordinary
Image source: Spotify
Image source: Spotify
