Peach Pit - From 2 to 3
Indie Rock – Released March 4, 2022 – 11 songs, 38 mins
REID
This week’s review is a pretty special one for the boys. A random shuffle introduced us to Peach Pit in April of 2021. Their second album, You and Your Friends, was met with collective praise with three ratings 8 or above on review #18. On top of that, we finally decided to share our hobby with the world by giving this thing a name and creating an Instagram account. The rest, as they say, is… TOOOOO sweet (RIP Razor). The feeling was rewarding from day one, as messages rolled in from friends telling us how much they enjoyed the gig and the album. Appreciation of your work is always uplifting. But this engine has been fueled by a love for music from the beginning and knowing TSR inspired a shared appreciation of Peach Pit was the best. Fast forward eleven months to review #60 and the Vancouver band are back with From 2 to 3.
The first song and single on the album, Up Granville, was released in early October and boy, did they ever pick up where they left off. That catchy, guitar-driven rock melody with soft vocals by Neil Smith, hit the mark creating immediate excitement for the eventual release. It would’ve landed on my 2021 top 10 song list if not for the album release date. Perhaps it makes the 2022 list, stay tuned. From here, Peach Pit roll off another 35-minutes of a very similar, feel-good style. The subject matter is mostly on the darker side with more than a fair share of drug references but it’s rare to feel this way while listening. Standout tracks include Vickie, Pepsi on the House, Everything About You and 2015.
Another interesting caveat to this review is it’s the first time we’ve reviewed two new albums from an artist. We’ve completed two by Kanye but those albums were released eleven years apart and we knew the outcome of the MBDTF review heading in. With that said, the lack of diversity on From 2 to 3 compared to You and Your Friends is missed as the latter had several songs with a bit more jam to make the overall listen more enjoyable. The back half of the new release can feel a bit repetitive.
Peach Pit stick to their strengths on From 2 to 3 and create another easy listening compilation with many memorable melodic guitar licks. The soothing vocals of Auston Matthews look-alike, Neil Smith, fit the bill. Now if they just amped things back up a little, they have the potential to elevate from 8 to 9.
Overall Rating – 8.0/10
Favourite Song – Up Granville
ROZ
Vancouver Canada’s Peach Pit is held near and dear to our hearts at Too Sweet Reviews, being our first ever social media post and kickstarting the creation and ongoing evolution of us as a music blog. From a fun quarantine pastime between a couple of friends to 50+ reviews, a website and even a podcast, we’ve been doing our fair share of growing. Now the question is, has Peach Pit been doing the same? Let’s dive into From 2 to 3 and find out.
The major highlight and core characteristic of this album (and perhaps the band itself) is Neil Smith and his amazing voice. A slower, laid-back take on the Peach Pit sound when compared to their last outing, this album simmers down their energy without sacrificing any of their charm as it carries the listener along using clever guitar riffing, melodic chord progressions and a relaxing low end groove. Up Granville begins the journey on a high that infrequently tapers off (both Vickie and Give Up Baby Go admittedly did fall flat for me) - the good definitely outweighing the bad with Lips Like Yours, Pepsi on the House, Look Out! and 2015 making for a smooth ride down the track listing until getting to the end of the road. Much like 2020's You and Your Friends, the titular track closes out the album and it does a damn fine job; Neil’s voice is something else, man. I find myself lost in deep thought as he clues up the final few verses of the album and, with that, my listening experience finally comes to a close.
From 2 to 3’s strength is in its simplicity; Neil, Mikey, Peter and Chris make it feel absolutely effortless as they jump from one catchy melody to the next. While they seem to play it quite safe and grounded on the album overall, it’s still undoubtedly a pleasant listen. To my point, they definitely could have attempted to take a few more risks than they did to really elevate this good album into a great one. Either way - surf rock, sad rock, whatever the hell kind of rock you want to call it - Peach Pit does it again. 2 for 2 in my books!
Overall Rating: 7.7/10
Favourite Song: Up Granville
LUNDI
Well well, here we have Vancouver band Peach Pit coming through with the honour of being the first ever band to have two of their albums reviewed by TSR. 2020’s You and All Your Friends was also the first ever TSR Instagram and website post and has been one of the biggest standouts amongst followers. Congrats to the boys on these achievements. Let’s see what you have to offer on your follow-up From 2 to 3.
Right off the hop opening track Up Granville hits you with a patented bluesy guitar riff from lead guitarist Christopher Vanderkooy, a sound which carries through the majority of the album. It is the Peach Pit trademark after all. Coming in over those riffs is the smooth vocals of frontman Neil Smith as he once again lyrically stumbles his way through life and love. Simplistic rhythm patterns from bassist Peter Wilton and drummer Mikey Pascuzzi tie the album together in a perfectly pleasant package of music.
Along the way there are some strong points like the delightfully fun Pepsi on the House (hopefully diet) and the classic lost love song Drips on a Wire, but with those highs there are certainly some bumps in the road too.
Too often the collection of tracks on 2 to 3 sound similar and while not bad they have no real indistinguishable features. None are worse than the cringy folk inspired song Give Up Baby Go which reminds me of the Veep Episode where Selina Meyer sings a campaign song based off an old Paul Simon tune.
Smith claims the record was written in darkness during the wee hours of the morning but on the surface you’d never be able to tell. While the album doesn’t live it to its predecessor the smooth guitar riffs throughout make it feel like a breezy day on a patio with a cold beer. Really what more do you need.
Tempered expectations were important heading into this album and Peach Pit are certainly not the first band to fall short of topping a previous effort. 2 to 3 doesn’t have the standout tracks of Friends but it’s a very enjoyable listen. Peach Pit bring more of the same but still manage to feel mostly fresh.
Overall Rating: 7.0/10
Favourite Song: Pepsi on the House