Peace - Kindness Is The New Rock And Roll (2018)

With their last album, Peace transcended their small indie band status after playing some of their biggest shows to date. But rather than releasing a quick follow-up, Peace went away. Now back, can they pick up where they left off?

Beginning with ‘Power’, an anthemic blend of rousing lyrics and sun-drenched guitars, Peace continue the positivity on the grand title track, spreading the love with a gospel choir. Despite this initial blast of optimism, a significant part of the record focuses on the struggles of mental health.

The passionate ‘From Under Liquid Glass’ is incredibly revealing, with the stark lyric “I’m left alone with my big fuckin’ mental head” standing out with relate-able resonance. “Don’t give up on me just yet,” plays out on ‘Magnificent’, while the pain-stricken anxiety of ‘Angel’ laments over a solitary reverberating guitar.

At a time when mental health difficulties in young people are at an all-time high, having Peace address these issues with sincere experiences is incredibly important - singer Harrison Koisser’s willingness to bare his soul is essential listening.

Though it might be lacking in the amount of quintessential indie floorfillers that we’ve come accustomed to with Peace, ‘Kindness Is The New Rock And Roll’ shows progression. Having Peace back fills us with adolescent ecstasy.