Album review: Peaness – World Full Of Worry

Talk about long-awaited – Chester indie-punk trio Peaness have been one of the UK’s best-loved DIY prospects since 2015, playing with acts like Kero Kero Bonito and We Are Scientists and sporting undoubtedly one of the best band names to ever grace a T-shirt. But only now are they releasing their debut full-length, World Full Of Worry.

As the title suggests, it’s an album that’s lyrically full of anxiety, reflecting the personal and societal battering we’ve all taken over the last two years. But musically, Peaness offset it with sugary, beachy pop melodies that provide a perfect bit of escapism.

Opener Take A Trip, for example, starts things off with blissed-out acoustic guitar and soothing ocean noises. How I’m Feeling offers up-tempo jangly chords and fun, busy drums, while Doing Fine is built around a laidback bassline and synth. Kaizen is the album’s highlight, its sunny vibes at times give way to heavier, discordant interludes, and the chorus is a big sing-along, propping up the song’s message of social change.

How I’m Feeling and Left To Fall Behind continue that theme, driving home frustration with the everyday rat race, and Girl Just Relax urges the listener to stop comparing our progress with others’. There are more personal moments of heartbreak too, on Worry, Hurts ’Til It Doesn’t and Sad Song.

It's all very down in the dirt, wrestling with it all, feeling overwhelmed and poking around for any slivers of light. This is an album that meets us where we are, offers a hand. It’ll also be a treat at a live show – it’s made for hugging your mates in the pit. Punks out there: this is the sound of the summer.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: PUP, Fresh, Jeff Rosenstock

World Full Of Worry is released on May 13 via Totally Snick