The Satin Peaches

Before you propose to us for introducing you to the Satin Peaches: we’re in a relationship. But we understand your amorous feelings. These Detroit-bred cuties are so goddamned good, they had us ready to wed the dude who works the shawarma pushcart downstairs for a second. Think Sixties Brit-pop with bluesy piano strut and raggedy garage-rock thrown in for good measure. Singer George Morris’s voice reminds us of Julian Casablancas — one minute he sounds like a disinterested lounge crooner, and the next he’s gone all howly and gravelly-voiced. Unless you live in the Midwest, you won’t be able to catch these guys live till next year, so you’ll have to settle for the three tracks they’ve got online until then. FYI: “Well Well Well Well” is our new theme song. - Rolling Stone

There's no way anyone could deny that the first single by these Detroit-raised avant-popsters is a thing of extreme beauty. Ivories are bashed, guitars fuzz in a vaguely garage-rock vein and someone starts to thing through the same over-distorted mic that Julian Casablancas patented five or os years ago. The whole thing builds and builds into something approaching mini-epic status. - NME

Emma is the first single to be released from the new album, and if this track sets the pace for the rest of the album then we should all be very excited about buying it. It's well written, well played Detroit rock and roll and I really can't fault it. It's clearly the work of a group of very talented musicians. The drums and bass are so tight they seem almost like they're played by one person. The guitar parts have that classic indie-rock feel but break out into something much more beautiful in places. And speaking of beauty, I'm a sucker for vocalists with amazing voices, and I think I've fallen in love with The Satin Peaches' singer George based purely on this single. - Kruger Magazine

When you hear that a band hails from Detroit you almost certainly start to expect them to have a distinct sound to them. Whether it's the straight blues of the White Stripes, the static edge of MC5 or harking further back there's Motown and any number of jazz greats who are forever tied to the motor city.

Bands with big indie sounds don't tend to be related to Detroit. The Satin Peaches are all about a big sound, which, with the state of indie guitar music these days is something of a breath of fresh air. At first The Satin Peaches had us trawling the internet to see if any members of JJ72 had started a new band. Turns out they haven't.

Emma and Wash It Away both deal in the kind of impassioned bluster that indie bands used to have around about 1992-94. Vocally they might have a bit of JJ72 about them, but musically this is all soaring guitars and lush arrangements. Think Siamese Dream era Smashing Pumpkins (only not as good) or Placebo when they were sticking out singles like Nancy Boy.

There are muscles in the guitars and more than a hint of the fey in the vocals, but this is pretty good stuff. When they let things rip they sound unstoppable, but then who couldn't be a sucker for cascading noisy guitars when the likes of The Hoosiers exist. They're not the finished article yet, but things are looking pretty peachy for The Satin Peaches. - MusicOMH.com

Sounding like The Long Blondes of a couple of years ago meeting Sons & Daughters, and agreeing to take a little from each, The Satin Peaches EP is one that could and should appeal to many. 'Emma' conjures pure rock 'n' roll ideals, coupled with the kind of seduction via lyricism that rarely wanes in appeal, courtesy of George Morris.

An interesting collage of sound is created from the combination of stepping garage rock and smooth, huge sounding choruses - aided with the support of a string section and enough key changes to make Arcade Fire stand up - building to an emotive crescendo worthy of that most clichéd of name drops.

'Wash It Away' takes up from where 'Emma' left off, perhaps to the band's discredit, but it really is hard to complain when it seems to work so well. This time we have more focus on melodic distorted guitar notes, creating the kind of endless feeling of space that Kings Of Leon seem to manage so well. There is certainly enough here to determine that Island records are still capable of exposing cutting edge talent, and that here they may just have one of those names that you will be seeing at all tomorrow's parties. Maybe. - ClickMusic.com

Some songs win you over with the first note, some with a blazing chorus, some with a glorious harmony. Every now and then though, you get a song that relies on every single element to make it great – with a single piece of the puzzle missing, it’s nothing. Satin Peaches are promising because they have not only written one of those songs, but because what’s available of their other material sounds equally full of promise.

More of that in a moment. First, back to that song. The foundations of ‘Well Well Well Well’ are a simple, clod hopping piano refrain and a two-part riff that climbs and then falls to a gently swaying beat. The vocals, provided by front man George Morris, oscillate between Modest Mouse, The Strokes and, slightly unexpectedly, Victory At Sea’s Mona Elliott. Mournful in the verse, throaty in the build, Morris softens for the chorus, simply repeating the four words of the song’s title in tune with the stepped descent of the second part of the riff. The result makes you want to punch the air and cry at the same time.

Satin Peaches are a four piece from Detroit whose loose fitting rock demos were sufficiently impressive to earn major label support from Island Records. They’re not long out of high school, as demonstrated by the adolescent spin of their online biog: “Aaron is crazy. His room smells like booze ‘cause we've spilled way too much rum on the carpet.” Thankfully, their music is more grown up and much, much more interesting.

Take ‘Let’s Talk About It In The Rain’ – a free download available on the band’s website. Initially an underwhelming mix of sparse chords, the song’s bassy tread only makes sense when lifted by the first falsetto chorus. From there, the tension and drama only grows, until by the song’s climax it somehow manages to be both unassuming and strangely compelling.

It’s a bit early to start knocking out Next Big Thing predictions, but this lot are definitely worth the pleasure of excited anticipation. Scribble Satin Peaches on a post-it and keep your fingers crossed. Lads, don’t let us down. - New-Noise.net

Last night I had a discussion about the band Deerhunter, and how they’ve pretty much become the most fully realized nu-shoegaze indie band. They have their own manic sense of creativity, but essentially they’re a band that derives from listening to a lot of other bands (like Stereolab and Slowdive) and writing songs that they (really one dude) want to kind of sound like those bands. And that’s awesome. A lot of great bands have done that. The four young guys in Detroit’s The Satin Peaches also wear their discographies on their sleeves, working a sound that’s composed of bits and pieces from modern indie rock from the last two decades or so. "Still Sour" sounds exactly like the Smashing Pumpkins re-writing the verses from The Strokes’ "Modern Age" and then doing their own chorus, while "Emma" is more like the post-Britpop guitar groups like The Futureheads or Amusement Parks On Fire if they’d been young enough to have parents into the Kinks. The UK press had nice things to say when they visited late last year, now they’re up here on RCRD LBL. Get into both the aforementioned tunes below. - RCRDLBL.com