Italian punkers The Peawees have rolled out their seventh full-length album, One Ride, on September 6th — a high-velocity manual on surviving boredom through sporadic behavior. Considering the band originates from the quaint military town of La Spezia, Italy, it’s no surprise the band matures in sound — not attitude — over the years, as the latter would be to surrender to the ennui that is small-town living. What makes this motif even more drilled into the new album was the onset of COVID in the middle of recording it!
There’s too much of the world out there to be cooped up.
Rock and roll and garage-y to the core, this 11-song whirlwind gets straight to the live-free-or-die-trying point with guitars blazing in “Banana Tree”. With a ‘if-you-want-to-find-me-you’ll-have-to-catch-me-first’ flair, the song has all the makings of a great time — including mention of margaritas.
Continuing in this cat-and-mouse game is “Drive”, a track on turning to the open road to literally escape life’s miseries. Lead singer Hervé Peroncini would rather be a highway vagabond than live conventionally, claiming that the only way to go is to “drive until the sun is gone, to a place I don’t recall”. Each song is just as fast and unapologetic as the last, with “Plastic Bullets”, “The Wolf”, and “Lost In The Middle” offering dynamic drums, punk rock power chords, and old-school surf rock harmonies on the chorus.
But living life on the edge can lead to a femme fatale, which is non va bene.
In “She Cries As She Kills”, the boys seek recluse from a woman “addicted to pain” — someone who will “take your night away”. But The Peawees are no pills to swallow. If she wants to assuage her suffering, look elsewhere. This message repeats a few times, actually, in “Spell On Me” and the closing song “You’ll Never Be Mine Again” featuring The Detroit Cobras.
It’s salty, it’s sensational, it’s just something you have to experience yourself! One Ride is currently being distributed by FOLC RECORDS in Spain and Spaghetty Town Records in North America, both digitally and physically if you want to grab a pressing on vinyl or compact disc! For more information on the album, visit the links below and make sure to catch The Peawees in action live across Europe through early December!
The Peawees – “Drive”
Track listing:
- Banana Tree
- Drive
- Plastic Bullets
- The Wolf
- Lost In The Middle
- She Cries As She Kills
- Who’s The Enemy
- Spell On Me
- Before I Die
- One Ride
- You’ll Never Be Mine Again, feat. The Detroit Cobras
Listen to ‘One Ride’ album:
Cover photography by Stefano Righi
Links: Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp
Share this article
or
Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.
Get music updates in your inbox