by Really, Peace’s fourth album, Utopia, was released in 2023 when the band made a niche return. They didn’t put the record on any streaming services. Instead, you could momentarily download it from a password-protected website, or you could buy a vinyl – that was it. Two years on, the album has finally landed.
THE SKINNY: It has landed right as the band say their goodbyes, announcing they’re going into “hibernation” as they’re “drawing a line under this period of their journey”. It’s been a strange ride for them. Back in 2013, they were the stars of the moment. Alongside acts like Swim Deep and Wolf Alice, they came bursting out of Birmingham as a brand new and exciting class of indie leaders.
Tracks like ‘Lovesick’ and ‘Wrath’ locked them in a legacy, but years on, it has become clear that their legacy was now a nostalgic one. That was obvious at recent tours. The crowd wanted to hear the old teenage hits, and the band, now in a two-man form, seemed to feel that, which is perhaps the reason for calling it quits.
But the thing is, Utopia is good. For anyone who did bag a copy years back, or listened to the downloaded files, it is worth another go. Taking pointers from the live shows, it has been polished up with more guitars and added synths, giving it a far fuller feeling and, admittedly, a feeling that strays closer to their old sound.
Which is to say that, really, they sound as good as ever. If it was the 2010s, a track like ‘Good Jeans’ would have undeniably been adopted into their hits. Meanwhile, the rest strays closer to the territory of their more downtrodden fan favourites, reminiscent of ‘Float Forever’ or ‘From Under Liquid Glass’ as songs like ‘Be Mine’ and ‘Polly With The Perfect Hair’ speak to the more tender side the group always had, but haven’t as defined by.
The only issue is that it isn’t the 2010s. Who knows why we all move on, or what causes the changing of scene to scene, or prompts the turning of favour like the seasons. But it feels like no matter how good this Peace album was, there is a trapping glass keeping them where they were. Maybe it’s one that, whatever their new steps, might be able to break through.
The verdict: Peace deliver a solid record proving their indie power, and proving why their grip was so tight in the 2010s. It’s not that they’re rusted, simply that the genre, and their position in it, has changed with time. As the band themselves retire, maybe we have to chalk them up to a tragedy of teen fans growing up and getting over.
A defining track: ‘Good Jeans’ for the nostalgic, ‘Polly With The Perfect Hair’ for those open to something different.
