There's a glorious rush that occurs in "An Infinite Divide", a highlight here on the debut full-length from Peakes, and it's simultaneously a reminder of just how warm some electronic music can be. Peripheral Figures, out this Friday, is full of such moments, and some of them solidify this trio's ability to actually do new things with familiar forms.
From the Gary Numan-throb of "Control" and on to the Goldfrapp-swirl of "Day and Age", Peripheral Figures reveals a band adept at drawing inspiration from worthy past pioneers even while burnishing the formula to suit their own ends. The sound here is wide-open, the vistas bright, and this is the rarest of electro-pop offerings that doesn't feel small in outlook. Peakes are making near-anthemic stuff here, but they're doing it with the same tools that, say, Nineties Depeche Mode used.
The vocals of Molly Puckering anchor this, providing the right amount of emotion at crucial points. The synths and production by Max Shirley give this all a surprising vastness, while drummer Pete Redshaw sort of kicks all of this into the stratosphere. Similarities to early Simple Minds might come to mind, or a larger-minded The Other Two perhaps, but the best tracks here, like "Lately" seem like both indie gems and big, big tunes. I think the best example of that might be "Nameless Machines" here. This one seems like a huge step forward for this band's sound, and a real showcase for the talents of the players here. Each element of this one gets attention, and it's that democractic mixing of voice, keyboards, percussion, and production all throughout this album that allows Peakes to take their craft to new levels with Peripheral Figures.
Peripheral Figures is out on Friday. More details on Peakes via the band's official website.
[Photo: Peakes / Practise Music]