Peachfield - Monuments of Debris

Peachfield

Monuments of Debris
​self-released; 2020

3.8 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

Laetitia Michel Shepherd (acoustic guitar), James Grieve (electric guitar), Steven Claxton (drums), Grace Schiavello (vocals), Gillian Watts (bass guitar) and Robert F Cranny (piano) are Peachfield. The band recently released their debut release entitled Monuments of Debris.

Their music is emotive, warm and upon first listen I found it accessible. “Laneways” is the first song and starts with a warm hum of guitar and what sounds like a field recording of school children. Drums, acoustic guitar, piano and bass soon enter the mix and the vibe is nostalgic and reflective. The lyrics mimic the emotional energy of the music and are about childhood days.

“Just One Star” is more upbeat but still warm and reflective. The lyrics are more existential and broad in some ways. As the song progresses it feels more powerful and intense when the chorus arrives. Next up is “Bubblegummers” and it sort of really cemented their sound for me after listening to this track. “A Great Divide” felt a little more religious. It was definitely the lyrics but also the delivery which reminded me of Sunday worship in a number of ways.

The band rocks more with “Box Wine & Fruitypine” but it's really uplifting and puts out a lot of good vibes. It’s the arguable highlight in the batch to my ears. We got back into ballad and reflective mode with “Map Drawn From Memory” while “Konmari” features vocal harmonies and is more folk based.

​The more I listened the more of a ’70s vibe I picked up. I say that in a good way. There was this mix of bohemian folk and some of the classic rock bands from that era. The band sounds great and the vocals always sound on point as well. There’s not much to complain about here. Take a listen.

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