Review: Peace - 'In Love'

Peace & love, rad.

The West Midlands is a funny place. Having lived in Wolverhampton all my life I can tell you excitement is few and far between. If a colour described it best it'd probably be grey. Not silver or chrome, grey. Recently however the grey skies have opened and a glorious rainbow has emerged in the shape of four fellas in leather jackets. Peace are a band bursting with colour, not just in their charity shop leopard print clothing but in their lusciously crafted baggy grunge pop songs and awesomely hectic live shows. The band herald from Digbeth in Birmingham and have been labelled as ringleaders of the recently hyped up scene (NME's new play thing) 'B-Town'.  They, along with groups like Swim Deep, JAWS, Troumaca and Wide Eyed (to name but a few), have managed to put the Birmingham and the surrounding areas back on the music map and have themselves become one of the UK's most promising indie stars. After last year's euphoric and widely adored EP "Delicious", the boys from Brum entered 2013 with single "Wraith" and a rerecording of the band's first single "Follow Baby", both tracks taken from their soon to be released debut album "In Love" that is now streaming via Peace adorers NME.

If "In Love" can be credited for one thing its most definitely catchy songs. The album in its entirety is an explosively melodic record that melts your heart like an ice cream on a summer day. Opening track "Higher Than The Sun" is as expansive as it is charming with youthful singer Harrison Koisser crooning "I'll take the jump, all I wanna know is how high?" as the band dives into a rhythmically spectacular collection of groovy drums, hypnotic bass and a particularly delicious riff from the band's long haired guitarist Doug Castle. This and follow-up "Follow Baby" start the album with an energetic and optimistic bang as Koisser furthers the band's brit-pop influenced hopefulness with the familiar phrase "we're gonna live forever (baby)".

Though excitingly refreshing, Peace have their brit-pop and grunge influences firmly planted on their sleeves it would seem. "Follow Baby" has hooks stolen straight from Nirvana's "Drain You" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" whilst "Sugarstone" sways along to an early Oasis feel and "Waste Of Paint" lends funky rhythms of The Stone Roses. Surprisingly however its not really an issue as it always feels like Peace, there are no carbon copies, only borrowed parts to make an all new model. The band's title comes into play as we are given detail of the mega highs and crushing lows of Koisser's experiences in love. These tones are reproduced efficiently and fittingly in the music with buzzing distortion and cutting major to minor chord changes conveying the cruel sting and bitter hurt in "Toxic" while the volatile chorus of "Wraith" matches the subject matter of hopeless longing. "Float Forever" and "California Daze" capture the band at their most gentle with soft melodies and carefully plucked arpeggios creating a heartbreaking atmosphere. 

For me the album's most deplorable trait is its somewhat underwhelming length. With only 10 tracks I find myself slightly unsatisfied as the final notes of closing track "California Daze" finish the album. The annoying thing is as well, this could be so easily solved. "Bloodshake" from the "Delicious" EP is a furiously stompy affair that could have added a further sparkle somewhere within the album. Or the superb "1998" could have been a more remarkable ending as it definitely was on the same EP clocking in at 10 minutes and 8 seconds on its own. Saying that, this album is far from disappointing. The songs are all incredibly well written and gorgeously intertwine with one another in a fashion that leaves you with an overall level of cheer. Perhaps the band were frightened to include too many already released songs on the album but I feel another could have pushed this album to a far more perfect experience. Regardless, I can honestly say the songs on this album and beyond leave me proud of Peace, a real honest hardworking band that make "B-Town" and the rest of the Midlands' music lovers forever grateful. Peace out... (CRINGE).

"In Love" is out on March 25th on Columbia Records. In the meantime, click here to stream it via NME.

www.peaceforeverever.co.uk