★★★★☆
Peach Pit, an indie rock band from Canada, puts a slight spin on the classic sound of alternative music in their newest release Magpie, mixing folk and pop-rock sounds in each track. Released on Oct. 25, Magpie marks the band’s fourth released album, including four previously released singles. It masterfully produces a blend of beachy vibes and mellow acoustic strumming.
This guitar-oriented album delves into broader themes of love and isolation while also introspectively intertwining some real-life elements into the songs’ lyrics. The band’s balanced dynamic is seen throughout the album’s 11 tracks, allowing the musicians—drummer Mikey Pascuzzi, guitarist Chris Vanderkooy, bassist Peter Wilton, and lead singer Neil Smith—to spotlight their distinctive skills in a harmonious way.
Smith and Vanderkooy initiated the band as high schoolers in 2014. Later, Wilton and Pascuzzi joined the band. Since then, the band has drawn in a large number of fans and listeners, averaging 2.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Smith’s voice is consistently soft throughout the album, but it elicits a sense of intimacy in his projection of the lyrics, almost as if he is a close friend telling you a story.
As the lyricism varies from track to track, the production does as well, starting out with a beachy and upbeat sound in the first track and single “Every Little Thing.” The guitar’s lo-fi sound primarily stands out in this song, with the drums’ consistent rhythm backing it to develop a sound that makes you feel like you’re on the boardwalk by a beach on a breezy summer day.
The lyrics, however, contrast the music’s tone. They yield often melancholy themes, particularly surrounding tension in a preexisting relationship.
“Every little thing about you I fixate in the shadows / Been seeming like you’re gonna be getting down to me,” Smith sings.
“Yasmina,” the second track of the album, initially exudes a romantic feel in its vocals and production, then transitioning to a steady, rock-resemblant guitar melody in the chorus. After performing its unreleased version in concert in 2023, Smith credits the song’s inspiration to his girlfriend in an iHeart Radio interview at Osheaga Festival, which could explain why this song is perhaps the most romantic of the album.
“Don’t ever wanna say you’re anything but mine-a / I’ve found loving you to be so very easy,” Smith sings.
The song “Am I Your Girl” has a more drawn-out, melancholic guitar sound that correlates to the longing within the lyrics.
The following track, “Little Dive,” produces a psychedelic and garage-rock feeling, which reflects the theme within the lyrics, encapsulating the possibilities that stem from the recreational use of drugs.
The album is mostly resemblant to Smith’s own life, but the lyrics in the title track “Magpie” divert from his real experiences as it follows a fictitious character called Magpie. Smith, however, says it would reflect his hypothetical self if he continued his drinking habits.
In the comment section of Magpie’s music video, Smith said, “In some ways, it‘s who I felt I might end up like if I never quit drinking. Like I had two paths ahead of me in life, one good and one bad.”
The songwriting in the album is cathartic and vulnerable, and the incorporation of facets of Smith’s life helps evoke an emotional connection to the songs and lyricists as a sense of empathy arises.
Track six, “Did You Love Somebody,” does just that. Smith rawly communicates his insecurity in a newfound relationship. In an interview with Atwood Magazine, he states that the song is “about that curiosity that sometimes creeps in, and can develop into insecurities.”
The songs “Nowhere Next To Me” and “Outta Here” grapple with feelings of loneliness following breakups, conveying a sense of yearning. The production of both songs starts with an acoustic guitar that segues into a groovy rock feel, which implies an even stronger connection between the songs’ themes.
This raw and honest 11-track portrayal of Smith’s humanity is concluded with a pensive song titled “Your Long Black Hair.” In this song, he hopes to flee from his past troubles, yet there’s this constant, cyclical return to his past lover, which is incessantly haunting him. This song is a strong close way to the album, as it connects to the previous tracks and somewhat explicates the yearning that pervades them all.
With Magpie, Peach Pit offers a vulnerable take on escapism, grappling with the past and the complex nature of love. Smith’s lyricism, coupled with the production’s heterogeneity, forges a brilliant album. Its introspective account of the complicated imperfection of human life allows listeners to connect and relate to this candid album.
