Peach Pit showcases stellar genre mixing on From 2 to 3

Photo courtesy of genius.com

Photo courtesy of genius.com

Peach Pit is an Indie/Surf Rock band from Vancouver, B.C., that gained popularity through the 2017 album, Being So Normal, and the 2016 EP. Peach Pit. The band released its third album From 2 to 3, on March 4. From 2 to 3 harnesses the band’s soft and pleasant vocals, stellar lead guitar, and musical organization heard on previous albums while successfully mixing genres.
“Up Grandville” is an awesome beginning to the album. When you first click play, you are met with a soothing repeated guitar lick that repeatedly comes back throughout the song. The electric guitar paired with the single strum pattern of the acoustic guitar and soft vocals make the song very easy to listen to. No Peach Pit song would be great without a guitar solo from Chris Vanderkooy, a trademark face of the band.
“Vickie” is an upbeat and light listen. The almost twangy sound of the lead guitar gives a very interesting sound to the song. “Vickie” since its release has worked itself up to be one of the most listened to songs on Peach Pit’s Spotify, and for good reason. To put it into more lyrical terms, “Vickie” just makes you want to get up and boogie.
“Lips Like Yours” instantly caught my attention because of the more diverse sound it offered compared to previous releases. Once again, “Lips Like Yours” offers beautiful vocals and lyrics. The smooth and easy-going verses are a great setup for the catchy and fun chorus. All of the different volumes and energy levels within the song make it a super fun listening experience.
“Pepsi on the House” is one of the songs that instantly caught my attention. The amount of sound and fuzzy guitar makes for a super high-energy chorus. This paired with acoustic guitar makes a cool sound.
“Lookout” instantly stands out from the rest of the songs on the album for a variety of reasons. One, its slower tempo made a strong appearance compared to the other tracks. Two, the use of lap steel. Lap steel is like a guitar where you lay off your lap and pluck with your fingers and strum using a metal slide. Oftentimes, lap steel is used in western, Hawaiian, and bluegrass genres. The lap steel crossed with a more indie rock sound was done flawlessly and added another level of exploration of the album. “Last Days Of Lonesome”, although not as good of a song, follows those same elements with the lap steel, genre-blending, and beautiful vocals. But instead has more of a Hawaiian vibe instead of western.
“Everything about you” is just a cute song. The slow light sound of the guitar and sweet lyrics makes it very pleasant. The way this song gains sound and energy throughout is very interesting. It is cool to listen to the very beginning and very end of the song because of how they differ. Not the best track but a solid song.
Continuing on the more western, honky exploration, “Give Up Baby Go” follows the same theme. This song once again perfectly exhibits genre blending and a more honky tonk sound. “Give Up Baby Go” is like if Glen Campbel wrote an indie rock song. The sound of the song with the juxtaposition of the heavy and truthful lyrics creates a very emotional and deep song.
“Drips of a Wire” feels slow on the get-go but, with the full energy of the chorus, it pulls itself together, and the drums and guitar solo add depth. Not the best song on the album but definitely a fun listen.
The track “2015” starts with a fun guitar and cool drums. The lyrics stand out in this song as more of an upbeat hopeless love song. Overall, it’s a repetitive yet engaging song. The transition of the end of the song into the closing song of the album “From 2 to 3” is very smooth. The repetitive acoustic guitar makes the soft start of the drums stand out from the rest of the song. “From 2 to 3” is a somber and relaxing end to an awesome album. While it is not the best song on the album, it is a perfect finale for this collection of music.
Overall, From 2 to 3 harnesses the soft and pleasant vocals, stellar lead guitar, and musical organization from their previous albums and successfully pulled off honky-tonk and indie rock genre mixing. It earns a 5 out of 5.