Three summers after their debut release, The Peekaboos have graced audiences with their sophomore album Help Stop Decay. Like any great rock compilation, listeners’ ears are filled with a mix of anti-authoritative lyrics, colorful guitar riffs, punching drums and driving bass lines. Although the album will not officially be released until Saturday, September 17th via DZ Records and Dark Circles Records, it can be heard in its entirety via the bands’ Bandcamp page. Luckily for our readers, Listen Live and Local already took the liberty of listening to The Peekaboos’ latest endeavor and are happy to report the following:
Sit back and get ready to embrace life through a fool’s eyes. Our journey in Help Stop Decay begins with a minute-long piece of dissonance and gongs before bleeding into “Microcosm”, a melodically uplifting tune about, well, microcosms (sharing characteristics or being a part of something larger). It’s annoyingly catchy with lyrics reminding listeners how they’ll “never find the answer, and death will find [them] anyway” so you might as well go out and do shit.
And while you’re out there doing shit and making a name for yourself, don’t forget to stay grounded. Check your ego with “Captain Chuckles VS The Multiverse”. It’s never to late to be reminded that all those wasted birthdays are simply an “arbitrary measurement of the passage of time” and “everything you thought important well it doesn’t really matter”. But since this message is delivered with such a drive, you’ll find yourself not able to do much but pump your fist and nod in agreement.
Things slow down a bit with “Physics Pharm”, starting with a simple chord progression and light vocals then breaking into a contiguous groove introducing the second verse. The song ends with satisfying duel guitar rifts before entering into loud cheers and an announcer’s voice in “Terms and Conditions May Apply”. This piece may hold a message, but more likely it’s just a cool transition into “Handibles/Mandibles”; a catchy tune that should be accompanied by a bunch of punk princesses in bikinis and boys doing the twist. The chanty vocals are broken up by impressive guitar shreds before quickly blending into “White Line Fever”.
Next up is “Volim”, a great song with the most commercial potential driven by its distinctive chorus and clean cut guitar lines. The piece wraps up with a full minute of intriguing instrumentals, bringing us to the beautiful guitar lick of “Sad Songs and Ex Friends”. Spoiler alert: this is a sad song about ex-friends and the perfect subtle”fuck you”.
We are treated to a dose of pure punk in “The Quantifiable Song”. There’s a constant drive of rhythm, rushing the vocals and pushing the song into the closest thing you’ll find to a ballad on this album. “Kelley Green” is a minute-long piano instrumental that comes and goes so quickly it can easily be mistaken as an intro to “Baby Steps”. A personal favorite, this upbeat, yet slightly depressing (maybe realistic) tune about “sell[ing] your soul in a city called Chicago/ Where your hopes and dreams count for shit”. At first, the song can be passed as uplifting, but closer examination shows it’s blunt line are really a cold hard dose of the reality of what it means to make your dreams come true.
Closing out the thirteen song record is “Disconnector”. We end our journey in a piano dynamic before slowly building to the rocking finale. Though it’s satisfying in its own rights, it’s also cruel as it leaves us with a wanting for more. Unfortunately, new music from The Peekaboos doesn’t seem to be in our near future. In the meantime, they’ve been nice enough to offer us some live shows guaranteed to provide a musical journey all their own.
The Peekaboos next performance will be at Cole’s on Saturday, September 17th at 10:00PM. The night will also include performances by Mykele Deville, The Curls and Sheep Numbers.
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