2013 debut 'In Love' was as naive as it was heart on sleeve and this honest approach gained Peace a eclectic following and widespread buzz. However somewhere along the line that popularity wained and as they return with sophomore album 'Happy People' it's evident that they are keen to make themselves a staple on the alternative music scene, even if they give off a whiff of a glittery 90's revival act at times.
The record sounds a hot mess of a collaborative, defcon style poppunk emergency emblazonned with bouncing fantasism and glittering disco ball reflections. Album opener 'O You' cascades, sparkles and impresses, falling into a shower of pop punk angst. A a string section embellishes the chorus and frontman of the Birmingham four-piece, Harry Kossier, stretches the, weakly sincere, lyrics of “I'm just trying to change the world that we live in” out into the far outer spaces of your mind. Although appearances on Made in Chelsea hardly reflect the world changing attitude expressed by Harry the album does show improvement with 'Lost on Me'; a brilliantly overproduced masterclass of stuttering guitar, glittering vocals and laserbeam soul, all topped off by a truly great pop chorus. “Perfect Skin” reeks of personal insecurity and reflects the idioms of the current Instagram abusing, selfloathing generation of young people but again has all the framework of a chart dominating pop song even if it all seems somewhat overwhelmingly dishonest and forced.
The record plays as if its a fantastic celebration of youth, but akin to most celebrations it begins to feel stale and the gold confetti I now sticking to your hands and face above a thin layer of sweat. Despite the growing irritation attention should be drawn to the technical and work on this album, as it deserves plaudits. A combination of the glittery, overlyfabulous instrumental work and lyrical structure have helped to compose some fierce pop melodies. A perfect example of this work can be found in 'Money' as the hurried drums skuffle perfectly under a table of soaring guitar and melody. The album then makes a more wholesome and honest turn as it ends with effervescent single 'I'm a Girl', closely followed by the funkdriven album finale track 'World Pleasure'. But even then 'World Pleasure' is just mimicking already existing sounds rather than building upon them.
By the end of the record you get a sense that something has happened in the production of this record and the quartet have managed to take all of the adoring naivety which had been poured into 'In Love' and mix it with a gross stench of insincerity and record label intervention. 'Happy People' fails to hold its own on many accounts but even though it lacks originality Peace have made a great job of their homage to glittery britpop satisfactions and have built what, feels like an album crammed full of bright and taut intricate guitar work and brilliantly poisonous indie pop hooks; and because of this I will continously be playing “Happy People” in my bedroom. How do you do it Peace... How do you do it so good?
RIFFED's Rating: 7/10
Listen to 'World Pleasure', taken from 'Happy People', via Youtube: