Hailing from Birmingham, Peace are a young four-piece pointing the way for a new generation of British guitar bands. Their debut release, EP Delicious (out in USA in February), has a sense of adventure and playfulness that led it to enter the UK iTunes chart at 14, surprising everyone, especially the band. Singer Harrison said “Up until now we’ve been working a a release rate of 1.5 songs a year, so this is us basically smashing our personal best. I can’t really work out what EP Delicious is but I think that’s the best way to feel.” Signed to Columbia Records, Peace are an incredible live band with over 200 shows alone in 2012, playing with the likes of Mystery Jets, Manic Street Preachers and Vaccines.
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Fans who’ve witnessed Peace touring 2012’s EP Delicious or opening 2013’s NME Awards Tour believe they’re Britain’s best live band. The band’s gigs have been an appetising cocktail of trouble-free acoustic songs such as ‘Float Forever’ mixed with sprawling danceathons like EP highlight ‘1998’. So when people attack Peace it’s because of a supposed lack of sonic direction. But every live moment is immediate. Peace feel it all, every second. They’re so impulsive that at NME’s Awards Tour afterparty Harry proposed to his new girlfriend without warning. What a dreamer. This spirit is committed to [debut LP] In Love perfectly. Because here’s the life-affirming, naysayer-defying news: Peace are songwriting naturals. This is an album on which juvenile innocence gives way to new experiences – a rush of hormones here (‘Lovesick’), someone else’s saliva there (‘Delicious’). You can taste the bright vitality of wild adventure.
So long as teenagers exist, there’ll be eternal value in rock’n’roll this spectacular. It has no sell-by date. If In Love lacks depth it’s because it’s too busy being wide-eyed with marvellous wonder, thrilled by its own discoveries. Even the hi-hats are epic. Peace are intoxicated by their own youth, and all that matters is that they’re happening NOW. “It seems as though your future is the past”, sings Harry on ‘Sugarstone’ before an escapist chorus about getting away from life’s pressures: “It’s not about a generatiaaann/It’s not about an educatiaaann”. Point is: music can reflect the past and still be valid. Some may see it as history repeating itself, for others it’ll be brand spanking new. If you don’t think Peace are as rejuvenating as a wash of zesty orange juice over a crushing hangover then you’re beyond help. As Britain suffers from youth unemployment and economic crisis, our greatest currency is the chime of a golden tune. Peace have delivered 10 of them. So what if they’re a bunch of pirates and not pioneers? This is their time. [Eve Barlow, NME]
