SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LIZ LAWRENCE – PEANUTS

LIZ LAWRENCE
PEANUTS
CHRYSALIS RECORDS

Liz Lawrence, well-known to indie folk lovers for her 2019 album Pity Party, has crafted a delightful mix of ’00s indie and garage rock sounds in her fourth LP. It features a touch of Marika Hackman’s restrained emotionality (“Big Machine”) and St. Vincent’s artistry (“Names of Plants And Animals”) while also maintaining a playfulness (“That’s Life”) not very common in modern guitar music.

Every track features an attention-grabbing guitar riff or bass line, whether it’s Strokesean hypnagogic chords in “No One” or funky, Smash Mouth-evoking string plucking in “That’s Life”. It’s a laid-back collection of summery indie with many references to well-known classics — from Orgy’s version of “Blue Monday” in “No Worries If Not” to Bloc Party-ish sharp, angular, and energetic drum patterns in “Nitrogen” to the guitar line in “S.U.R.V.I.V.E”, reminiscent of the one from The Breeders’ iconic “Cannonball”.

Sometimes, great records risk being overlooked, and we surely miss a lot of them every Friday, which is normal. Still, it’s unfair that this album didn’t get much attention from the press, and this review aims to fix that a bit. Peanuts marks a new high for Lawrence that won’t go unnoticed and will definitely make an impact with the release of her next album.

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