Cream Premiere: Spin Peachy's Ferocious Squirt [Fresh Tracks]

One of the most fun things this summer in Nashville music has been watching Peachy build steam. The trio of veteran rockers — bassist Leah Miller (Mom and Dad) and guitarist Rachel Warrick (The Shadowtones, Roman Polanski's Baby), who co-write the songs and sing many of them together, along with drummer Benji Coale (Pujol) — has quickly earned a reputation for snare-tight sets of intense and melodic songs that draw on the inspiration of late-’70s British punks and early-’80s post-punks. 

Their new EP Squirt focuses on declaring independence from patriarchal ideas, whether they’re manifested in controlling or abusive romantic partners or simply dudes who don’t want to listen to women discuss how their bodies work. We’re very pleased to premiere the record below.

“We are having fun and not taking things too seriously,” says the group in a joint statement. “We have been playing this set since February adding more as we went. … Our friend Shibby Poole recorded us. We didn’t have a soundscape in mind, we just wanted the same energy as our live set, and we really feel he captured our essence. Shibby rules. We like to consider him the fourth member of Peachy.”

You’ve probably heard recordings Poole has made with Nashville metal and hardcore bands, or heard him play with Yautja, Husband Stitch and others. Husband Stitch singer Olivia Scibelli also leads Idle Bloom, and together with her IB bandmates, Scibelli has launched a new label called Budding Romance Records. Squirt is the debut release from the label, and Idle Bloom’s second album Flood the Dial is set to follow on Oct. 5.

“When shopping the Idle Bloom record around, I was faced with some issues surrounding indie record labels,” says Scibelli in an email. “There are a lot of right-on dedicated people who run them, from major indies like Merge to the tiny passion indies like Father/Daughter, and they’re flooded with submissions. The way the record industry is right now, there isn’t enough to go around in a sustainable way, especially if hundreds of bands are pitching their stuff to the same 10 or so places. 

“With that in mind, I realized that it’s easier than ever to DIY the exact same way as most of those indies. Of course you need capital, but beyond that it’s just time and passion. I’m fortunate enough to be able to throw a little money in because of my day job, and so I’m just trying to help my talented friends as much as I can along the way, the same way we’ve been helped. Shout out Theory 8!”

On Sept. 19, you can hear Peachy talking with host Laura Powers on WXNA's Needles and Pins from 8-9 a.m. (That's not a typo. It is an early morning show, but you'll be able to hear the broadcast archive on WXNA's site if you miss it live.) Thursday night, Peachy launches a short tour of the Eastern U.S. and celebrates the release of the EP on cassette in the backyard of Fond Object on the East Side. They'll have help from electro-post-punk outfit Dancers (who’ve expanded from a duo to a quartet) and lo-fi, high-energy politically engaged punx Depression Breakfast. The show kicks off at 8:30 p.m. and the cover is $5. Keep an eye on the Facebook event page for updates, and keep up with Peachy and Budding Romance Records on social media (also see Budding Romance's website) as well.