Coming from the land of sunshine with a punk sound that is colorfully on the edge is Peach Kelli Pop with their fourth full length album titled, Gentle Leader. The album finds the band reaching for new material, collaborations, and depth. The Gentle Leader cover art is a fantastical illustration by Brooklyn artist Miza Coplin, which is simply beautiful! The Canadia founder, Allie Hanlon, has written eight of the ten songs, each show a new direction in confidence, both as a musician and songwriter. There is one cover by an 80s UK band called the Marine Girls, done in a Violent-Femmes style. Hanlon shared production duties with engineer Roland Cosio, who also played guitar on some of the tracks. Sophie Negrini is also featured on guitar, Andrew Bassett of Portland’s party-punk band The Mean Jeans is on the drum throne. Gina Negrini, the band’s bassist, contributed the song “Quiet.” Gentle Leader benefits by the new collaborative spirit as it brings out the many strengths of the band and creates a more polished sound, but the Hanlon vision is still intact, and this is still truly a Peach Kelli Pop outing! That’s the short of it!
Positives:
Songwriting and sounds from the 80’s and 90’s post-punk era that is centered around great grooves and guitar power.
Bottom Line:
Peach Kelli Pop are evolving and spreading their creative juices all over ten exhilarating indie punk pop tunes for our listening pleasure. The band has a new creative urgency and Hanlon’s vocals are full of vigor and control. The music ranges from soft and vulnerable to attitudinal guitar with in your face lyrics and singing. The cool layers are still there that we all know and love about Peach Kelli Pop’s music, but this album has a deeper buzz to it! Gentle Leader is pop punk that you will find obsessive in your desire to listen to and one that has its own rewards!