The Peawees
One Ride LP
(Wild Honey/Spaghetty Town Records)
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the One Ride LP by The Peawees. While it would be difficult to call what The Peawees do on their debut album particularly unique or innovative (from front to back, the band makes the most of its own barroom rock aesthetic, and seasons in horns to make the standout cuts on the album sparkle and shine), actually listening to One Ride can win even the most jaded listeners when they realize that the band has made one other important addition to the mix with which they’re working: BELIEF. Is what The Peawees are doing particularly impressive? Not particularly – but a front-to-back run through One Ride will ensure that those who come to the album without baggage or preconceived notions about the album will be won over and rewarded handsomely with a set of songs that are capable of burrowing deeply into their brains and reshaping their appreciation of rock n’ roll.
As soon as needle catches groove and “Banana Tree” opens One Ride‘s A-side,The Peawees lay out surprises effortlessly – and so hold listeners enthralled. The first rock rumblings which drive the song part quickly to show listeners the band has some ska rhythm in them, with singer Herve Peroncini crowning the mix with something close to R&B and soul. The result is simply remarkable; using skills comparable to that of the Downchild Blues Band, The Peawees rewrite the book on what might be possible for rock by still using those same sounds and skills, but also managing to make it sound completely fresh. Lines like, “I got a call from a faraway home/ Wanted me back when things went wrong” and, “They’re coming for me – they’re coming for me!/ How can I hide myself behind the street” have the kind of well-worn style which proves this music is being performed with an equal mix of confidence and experience as well as a sexy swing that is both undeniable and unavoidable and, after the song’s three-minute duration, there’s no question that those who here it will be hooked; hearing more will be a biological imperative, after that first taste.
With introductions made and listeners’ expectations set, The Peawees just dig in hard and attempt to ensure that they keep listeners’ attention in front of them. “Drive” keeps the guitars overdriven and their performances succinct in a manner that is very similar to that of Soul Asylum (or rather how Soul Asylum did before ‘Runaway Train” taught them how to write the same song repeatedly and always sound great), and then “Plastic Bullets” refines The Peawees’ ability to turn out succinct but satisfying indie rockers (think Killjoys or Bob Mould’s Sugar) before “Lost In The Middle” turns up the overdrive and proves that a band from somewhere other than Minnesota can make an indie pop punk anthem just as well as Hüsker Dü, and then downshifts so hard listeners might be able to hear a couple of gears grinding as “She Cries As She Kills” closes out the side. There, it’s impossible not to concede that the song plays a little awkwardly at first as Peroncini and co-guitarist Dario Persi fumble with some ska changes that they might have half-learned from listening to old NOFX records, but they finally find a stable rhythm as the lyrical focus turns to walks in the rain and the song itself refocuses onto a major-key chord progression.
The solid ground on which the A-side of One Ride closed its running opens the B-side too and actually comes off improved, instead of just renewed, as “Who’s The Enemy” plays out. Listeners will find that the song rocks harder and with greater passion than they expected as Peroncini’s vocals come close to weeping perfectly through lines like, “Who’s gonna pay the price/ Who will be sacrificed/ Now that the one with the rising sun burned your problems away,” and the piano added to the song for greater depth adds a soul that not only further enriches it, it also bridges the album’s movement into “Spell On Me,” which further expands The Peawees’ palette again with more horns and a more frenetic guitar solo.
While the overall power of the album does dip a little when “Before I Die” overplays a series of cliches that includes hard stops and starts intended to add some drama to the song and guitars which play as weaker than they had earlier on the album, the play is immediately redeemed as the album’s title track plays out. There, handclaps add some fresh energy before Peroncini and co-guitarist Dario Percy amp up the energy and have some fun through the song’s running by just bouncing along brilliantly. Throughout the cut, Peroncini, Percy and bassist Fabio Clemente bounce off of the drums supplied by Tommy Gonzalez in a way that recalls The Replacements at their most playful and socially lubricated – which is honestly refreshing because it’s the only song on the album which sounds like it does – itself kind of ironic, given that it’s the title track.
…And, after they’ve had their fun through “One Ride,” The Peawees settle into one final turn with “You’ll Never Be Mine Again” to close out the album. There, it’s hard to tell if the band is settling down to simmer or to seethe as guitar arpeggios walk along the song’s running like spiders through the movement of the cut. Peroncini seems intent on taking a woman to task as lines like “How many things I gotta prove?/ How many roads do I still have to go through?/ I’m walkin’ on eggshells, can’t you see?/ I’m afraid this pain won’t set me free.” attack without mercy, and listeners lean in to catch every syllable. By the end of the song (and album, by extension), there’s no doubt that, for Peroncini, there is no going back to the woman who’s done him wrong, but listeners won’t be able to stop themselves from resetting both the record and the stylus, after it lifts; the way the B-side on the album ends is just too intoxicating to be left alone, for listeners.
So, needless to say, The Peawees have found a perfect end for One Ride in “You’ll Never Be Mine Again.” As up and down as One Ride plays, the album’s last cut baits listeners into running front to back with the album more than once. While there are flaws in the album, it’s impossible to deny that it has its’ charms too – and will definitely find fans waiting for a follow-up, when they return with fresh material. Here’s hoping that it doesn’t take the band too long. [Bill Adams]
Artist:
https://thepeawees.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/thepeawees
https://www.instagram.com/thepeawees/?hl=en
https://www.spaghettytown.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooxthBDYVAE55taPVwbOzfZgJY6pJGNWglxH_jQR3IbOKGnEimC
Album:
One Ride is out now. Buy it here, directly from Spaghetty Town Records.
