Black Lips - “Season of The Peach” Review
Written by Beau Croxton
Black Lips by Cate Groubert
Season of the Peach is a fun, ragged, diverse, and beautifully bizarre record that feels like some unearthed garage-rock relic from the late 1960s.
3 years after Apocalypse Love, The Black Lips return with Season of the Peach. The album was recorded direct to analogue tape at drummer/producer Oakley Munson’s studio, Sound At Manor, in upstate New York. It’s a raw rock-odyssey through many different odd flavors, and with Oakley’s production– it also sounds like a twisted trip through the 60s. It's a casual great time– one where the listener feels almost like a fly on the wall at the band’s rock n’ roll barn-party in the Catskills.
Even more so than their last few records– Season of The Peach suggests the band is trying to chase things that interest them, rather than spending any time honoring what people might traditionally expect from their legacy. Season of The Peach is also quite diverse– it sounds like you are flipping through radio stations that deliver a wide variety of different warped, country-punk party versions of 60’s band hits.
The record is bookended by “The Illusion” Parts 1 and 2. Part 1 opens as more of a laidback, saloon-style, country meditation rather than a full fledged tune, and it seems to guide the listener in and out of the atmosphere of the record. These intro/outros hit nicer on later listens, when the listener gets the full picture.
“Zulu Saints” is the first jolt of energy– it's a hybrid of traditional Sardinian instrumentation mutated into their chaotic, fuzz-fried honky-tonk. Guitarist/singer Cole Alexander wrote this rambunctious song in reference to the Coast to Coast radio show, and the lyrics reflect the themes found in the show and with a nod to the host, Art Bell. “Sx Sx Sx Men” is a swampy, minor-scale romp that feels like a misfit cousin to material from Captain Beefhart’s Safe as Milk. The track spins some vivid tales– “twilight sounds eclipse the moon/ howlin’ wolf singing a dissonant tune”. Also the track is surrounded by bigger moments, it's cool and fits nicely.
“Wild One” is a gorgeous misfit-anthem that Rosow wrote and recorded on an Optigan. It resembles the very best material Rosow has brought to the group, with her trademark, iconic, deep and sultry delivery. The 60’s vibe from the production standpoint really makes this song absolutely soar. It's a very grand, cinematic, Morricone-style epic a-la Black Lips. It’s one of the best songs from the band in recent memory, and surely will be held as a new Black Lips classic– pure magic.
“So Far Gone” brings the band’s classic, chaotic, fuzz-punk energy, and it sounds even more garagey with Oakley’s production. It can be a little rickety on the performance side of things– but that may be the point, hence the theme and title. “Judas Pig” had smooth, 60s-vibed verses with an organ that recalls The Animals or the Zombies – but the ritualistic chanted chorus unleashes a twisted approach. The chorus full of shrieking and fuzz pedals deems the tune too odd and punk-rock to be on Top of the Pops.
“Kassandra” is another standout that has an interesting, psychedelic-leaning, 60’s rock sound to it– it has a mix of squeaky-clean leads against wah-wah guitar. It has classic Black Lips sing-along energy and checks all the boxes for a very satisfying, reliable rocker from a group that is equipped with many.
“Baptism in the Death House” kicks off with a Johnny Cash style train-beat and southern-gospel style . It digs deep on the band's southern roots and details a story of a prison inmate gone rogue, who conveniently tries to find Jesus just before his execution.
“Until We Meet Again” is a brief moment tagged on the end of “Baptism In the Death House”. It is a prayer circle-moment and it feels like a swan song for the prisoner in the finale of the previous track. Its clever and it perfectly bridges the twang of “Baptism…” with the bands following doo-wop adjacent track, “Tippy Tongue”.
Lead single “Tippy Tongue” is a pure Black Lips-classic. In the road to writing this track, Cole Alexander went on a deep dive with Don Bolles of the Germs of bubblegum 60’s tracks, and it really paid off , because it will surely become a modern Black Lips staple . It's got a style that recalls classics Shangri Las and The Ronettes channeled through a more distorted and punky lens.
‘Happy Place’ lands somewhere in between The Black Lips early material and The Ramones, and by that design, it's incredibly fun. Rosow’s harmonies add serious twang to this Ramones-y affair. “Prick” is another big highlight, it's a gothy rocker full of tremolo and a perfectly spooky synth. Zumi Rosow sings this track about having a “Prick” of her own– and everything it entails– both on a physical level and in the sense of its power. It's got a classic “scream into guitar solo moment” that's purely rock n’ roll.
“Hatman”uses xylophones and traditional, 60’s doo-wop chord progressions to paint a picture of a very straightforward song, only for lead guitars to come in and hijack the traditional, melodic picture with a more noise-rock Velvet Underground approach. Guitars buzz with tremolo picking and provide a dissonance that feels like a wrench (intentionally) thrown into the outro. Closing the LP, “The Illusion Pt 2” is an even nicer version of the intro tune.
Now, Season of the Peach can be pretty loosey-goosey– average listeners might say it's rough around the edges. But that’s also its charm— Black Lips were never meant for the casuals, and they have always found major glory in a more rough, shambolic fashion. For the majority of the record, their rough appeal shines very bright. Once the record starts to get momentum (a few tracks in), it gets on a killer hot streak that doesn't let up.
Recently, the group said “Our message has always been simple, We’re just trying to rock and have a good time. Hopefully there’s some room left for that in the world, as fucked up as it is.” And that's exactly what this record accomplishes– no need to overthink it. Season of The Peach is full of unpretentious, fun, rowdy tunes that explore some adventurous avenues of retro-rock, psychedelic rock, country, punk and beyond. Black Lips have always successfully championed many forms of off-kilter, misfit music with a dash of their southern charm and a few pop sensibilities, and Season of The Peach is no different— its a very good time.
If you dig the modern incarnation of Black Lips (since 2017), their past few records, and you love the spirit of the band in general, there’s definitely plenty to love on Season Of The Peach.
Occult Highlights: Wild One, Tippy Tongue, Prick, Kassandra, Happy Place , Baptism in the Death House
(…but we recommend you spin the whole thing while you eat your last juicy peach of summer)