Peak Twins
?Hunk rockers? Peak Twins steep their debut album in vocal chops and suave soul, setting them far apart from the crop of lazy slacker bands, writes FREYA ZAKNICH.
The self-titled debut LP from Peak Twins is a colour-drenched effort of pop most sublime. The band is fronted by Joel Carey (Wolf & Cub) and Liam Kenny (Bitch Prefect, The Friendsters) who are supported by Adelaide stalwart players from Old Mate, Summer Flake, Divine Rip and many others.
They call themselves hunk rockers, and while they certainly put on a show of sunglasses and shiny lights, it is pleasing to know that you’re still worth the effort. There’s no denying the conviction of Peak Twins while they make love to you.
Opening with a sweetly unadorned ?Only One?, we start with a weary heart burned a little in love. Next is the brash lessons-learned of ?Steppin? Off?, the A-side from their 7? earlier this year. Later too comes the flip of that release, ?China White?. This is much more than a filler track, with its earnest hurting and rolling country guitar licks like a lowdown Lee Hazlewood croon.
?So Long? is the current single, which takes ?Rockin? Back Inside My Heart? by Julee Cruise (the ineffable lounge singer who soundtracks their twisted namesake) and transforms it from its original hazy coo with a spectacularly aching chorus. Dewy and damp with melancholy, it repeats for the second half of the song, bolstered by a seductive saxophone solo and echoing ?shoo-be-doo-wa’s. Such stirring simplicity occurs in only the most expert pop deliveries, and so I will pardon myself for descriptions of vowels that soar from mouth to moon and a swell of vocals as deep as the sea. The same occurs in ?Got Woken Up?, a thick and stony number that swims in sheets and pillows, bathed in sunlight as it creeps into an occupied bedroom.
?They manage to recall Oasis at their righteous and messianic best.?
Peak Twins emulate Spector-styled perfection with frustrating ease. However, it’s their take on the psych revivalism of the ?90s on side two with ?Salvation? that really testifies as to their approach and skill. They manage to recall Oasis at their righteous and messianic best, complete with a triumphantly indulgent guitar solo. Most poignant and affecting is the eight-minute epic ?Divine Nature?, first quietly quaking in the verses but arching into the most luxuriant stroke of the album with dizzying harmonies, scorching guitar and embellished percussion. The choir shows no mercy as it ascends with a near beatific surge. A fitting bookend comes in ?500 Days?, ending on a whisper of steadfast devotion.
Carey’s singing dominates in these recordings. His vibrato is bare and intimate in their cover of Fred Neil’s ?The Dolphins? and the stripped parts of ?Divine Nature? in particular. Finding the strength of voice and wielding it with sincerity and verve recommends Peak Twins far above the current infestation of too-lazy, too-casual garage acts. The point being: if you don’t have a soul to sell, there’ll be no takers either way.
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##?Peak Twins? is out now through Bedroom Suck. Launch tour dates below.
Fri, Jan 24 – The John Curtin Hotel, Melbourne, VIC [w/Lakes + The School of Radiant Living]
Sun, Jan 26 – The Metro Hotel, Adelaide, SA [w/Fair Maiden + Divine Rip]