PEEL

‘Under The Sun’ sees PEEL shedding the raw, fuzz-driven sound heard on earlier tracks for a more hi-fi aesthetic. Where their previous work harkened back to the proto-shoegaze grit of The Jesus and Mary Chain and cosmic air of Primal Scream and The Stone Roses, ‘Under The Sun’ embodies a new vision for PEEL reminiscent of bands like DIIV and Deerhunter with its hypnotic guitar riff, sparkling synthesizers and brooding, airy vocals.

Recorded at Blankspace Studio in Sydney with producer James Christowski (who produced the band’s debut EP) and mastered by Ryan Schwabe (Oneohtrix Point Never, Winston Surfshirt, Golden Vessel), the track is introspective and melancholic, yet its propulsive pace and swirling textures carry you along at high velocity until it finally explodes in its euphoric closing chapter.

“This is one of the first songs we wrote for PEEL, but it didn’t quite fit with the rest of the tracks on the previous record,” says singer/guitarist Nick Stillman. “We really felt we’d found our groove towards the end of recording the last EP and that we’d found the best way to merge our collective influences into a sound that’s our own, which I think you can hear on this track.”

Lyrically ‘Under the Sun’ explores existentialism and a ruminative state of mind, and is full of contradictions and psychedelic allusions. While at times frantic and uncertain, it is also dreamy and elated, particularly in its epic final chorus. During the recording sessions, the band experimented with ways of creating subtle movement throughout the track to compliment the driving rhythm section and delicate vocals — this included running an electric sitar through swirling guitar effects and adding layers of undulating modulation to the drums. The result is a song that sweeps you up and encircles you from start to finish.

The track is accompanied by an animated visualiser created by art collective POLLEN (DMA’s, Hatchie, POND), who the band worked with on the clip for ‘Silver Spring’ from their debut EP. The video is a dreamy collage of abstract shapes, patterns and imagery that reflect the lyrical subject matter in strange, fantastical ways. These are augmented by the lo-fi, VHS-inspired colours and textures found across PEEL’s previous videos and artwork.