Peacebone Premiere New EP Blame the Bird in Full; Out Tomorrow
Swiss heavy psychedelic rollers Peacebone will release their new EP, Blame the Bird, tomorrow through Sixteentimes Music, and where their 2021 debut, Metanoïa, had a bit of classic-style shuffle to coincide with its fuzz and 2023’s Warm Paint refined bluesy clarity from the first record’s accomplishments in songwriting, the 18-minute five-tracker premiering in its entirety below leans a different way.
The foundation, in heavy blues and boogie, is important for understanding where Peacebone — the Vevey-based five-piece of vocalist/keyboardist Rebekah Aktinson, guitarists Samuel Lucchini (lead) and Colin Rochat (rhythm), bassist Julien Bonzon and drummer/backing vocalist Simon Bradford (who also mixed and mastered) — are coming from. It accounts for the All Them Witches shimmer in the centerpiece guitar interlude “Whisper of Hope,” and the soul with which Aktinson‘s vocals soar on the subsequent “Break New,” and the wistful sensibility wrought in closer “Hold Me Now.” But Peacebone seem to be purposefully expanding their palette in Blame the Bird — one finds corresponding advice in opener “Don’t Blame the Broken” — to include the psychedelic, as well as elements of folk and progressive/post-rock.
Admittedly, some of this might fall under the heading of “modernizing,” which one could argue the band did across their first two records (it’s not quite so cut and dry in reality), but it’s more about the textures of the material, the space granted to Aktinson‘s vocals in the mix — a standout range met with suitable instrumental sprawl — but the structures have grown more complex and in the detailing, pieces like “Don’t Blame the Broken” and “Hold Me Now” feel as much refined as they do impactful. There’s a poppish air to the melodies, but Blame the Bird remains heavy even as “Never Run Away” stretches out from its chorus into a graceful nod. If it sounds like the 1990s to your ears, that’s not unreasonable, but the reality of the EP as a whole is more forward-thinking.
It can’t answer what might be next for Peacebone, but it does broaden the scope of possibility, and efficiently creates a mood-affecting atmosphere in under 20 minutes’ time. As to whether the twists of “Don’t Blame the Broken” and the meditations in “Whisper of Hope” are the shape of things to come for the band — that is, if their third album will continue in this modus or if Blame the Bird is a standalone expression of style, which time could reveal is the case for the first two records — it’s not something one can really know at this point and I’m glad at not being able to predict. What I’ll say instead is that they sound like a band who’ve figured out a few key things concerning who they are and the kind of material they want to write, and the EP comes across as a fresh perspective on genre accordingly. They’re not changing the face of heavy psych rock with five tunes under five minutes, but if this is the path they’re going to follow from here on, the prospects are significant and the songs offer a feeling of comfort that resonates beyond the lyrics.
The EP streams in full below ahead of the Jan. 31 (again, tomorrow) release. Preorder link and PR wire info follow. You know the drill.
Enjoy:
Pre-order “Blame The Bird” here: https://tinyurl.com/bd63yu85
Following two albums (“Metanoïa” in 2021 and “Warm Paint” in 2023), which leaned more toward classic rock, PEACEBONE broadens its sound on “Blame The Bird”. They embrace a murkier, more winding tone, drawing influence from Californian desert rock, while also offering moments of ethereal, psychedelic clarity influenced by post-rock, and spicing everything up with neo-psychedelic touches. The riffs are massive, the melodies dreamlike, and Rebekah Atkinson’s lyrics are deeply emotional – capturing vulnerability, the courage to face one’s demons, and the boldness to challenge destructive beliefs.
On “Blame The Bird”, the quintet tackles intensely personal themes across five tracks. On “Break New,” for instance, the band explores the anxiety of feeling irreparably broken and the destructive toll this can take on relationships. Yet despite these insecurities, moments of sorrow can be replaced by fleeting waves of euphoria and magic, like on “Never Run Away.” Here, under a summer storm, the mind escapes into a dreamlike world where fish speak and we wander through a pink-tinted city. The EP closes with a song of reconciliation and healing love (“Hold Me Now”).
If there is one word that shapes and defines Peacebone’s sound, it’s experimentation. Since its inception, the Vevey-based modern blues rock band have created a sound of their own, that vacillates from sombre, reverb-soaked ballads to punchy, rhythmic tracks. Dynamic guitar riffs wind their way beneath Rebekah Atkinson’s chocolatey-smooth vocals poured into captivating melodies.
1. Don’t Blame The Broken
2. Never Run Away
3. Whisper Of Hope
4. Break New
5. Hold Me Now
The EP was recorded by Peacebone at Arcane Productions. Mixed and mastered by Simon Bradford at Arcane Productions. Photos by Angini Pai.
PEACEBONE is:
Rebekah Aktinson – Lead Vocals, Keys
Samuel Lucchini – Lead Guitar
Colin Rochat – Rhythm Guitar
Julien Bonzon – Bass
Simon Bradford – Drums, Backing Vocals
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Tags: Blame the Bird, Peacebone, Peacebone Blame the Bird, Sixteentimes Music, Switzerland, Vevey