The Peeks’ vocalist and songwriter Fraser Henry takes us through their debut album Grow Up/Grow Down, breaking down the stories behind each song and the record’s grander ideas. You’ll be able to grab the album on July 22nd, and catch them on tour:
Brisbane Aug 5th – The Milk Factory
Byron Bay Aug 6th – The Treehouse on Belongil
Sydney Aug 11th – The Oxford Art Factory
Newcastle Aug 12th – The Lass O’Gowrie Hotel
Warrnambool Aug 27th – The Loft
Grow Up/Grow Down
Grow Up/Grow Down maps the thoughts and feelings I’ve ridden from a teenager to an adult (if you could call me that!). It’s been an amazing time of development and understanding, so I guess music and writing has been my way of expressing myself amongst this turbulent world. I’ve always enjoyed wandering between the lines of fiction and non-fiction. And whilst some of my songs have fictitious characters, the emotion & fears are my own – hidden and weaved within these stories.
Sonically, we sought interesting and varied sounds across the entire album. The result is an extremely eclectic and colourful piece of art, which I think is perfectly fitting. The concept ‘Grow Up/Grow Down’ was born from a common theme throughout the songs – finding one’s purpose and taking that next step. Whilst it bites at my personal being, it also tackles a global concept on whether we’ve gone too far. Whether ‘growing up’ and developing is almost our own demise. Is there a fine line between progression and regression? What is it to be grown up? Whilst I ponder these questions, I’m quickly sucked back into a world of hope and wonder, which is something I think we should never lose. We’re super excited about the album, and we hope you are too.
Postman
After a tough year in love and a repetitious life eating at his soul, a Postman reflects on the decisions of his past. A man, his guitar and a small string section; from Liverpool to the Indian Jungle. Some really cool string sections in here. We wanted to start the album with something a little different. I think it was the perfect choice to showcase our distinct & unique songwriting style.
Don’t Tell Your Mama
The aches and regressions of a musician’s penniless beginnings. Don’t Tell Your Mama features vocals from Anabelle Kay – easily one of the best vocalists I’ve ever heard in Australian music!! Anabelle, along with some very tasty pedal steel guitar & horn-work really lifts this track into the bangin’ new country, bluegrass folk tune it is. Check out the video for it too!
Wanaka
A reflection on my changing desires with age; be them attainable, elusive or ridiculous, and the dream in which they come together. A simple, stripped-back tune with a few sneaky mentions to a great childhood film, ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’. That movie had an amazing soundtrack and a ridiculously frightening villain in the child snatcher! ‘Wanaka’ was one of the last songs written for the album. It was written and recorded within two weeks, which I think was great because we didn’t overthink it. It’d have to be the most organic, natural song on the entire album.
Love The Beatles?
Get the latest The Beatles news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
Pomegranate
Like Wanaka, Pomegranate ponders, “did things turn out the way I’d expected as a boy?” Processing that almost unintentional, but unavoidable, loss of wonder in things like playing ‘hide-and-seek’, scoffing popping candy then opening your mouth as wide as possible or laying out carrots for Santa’s reindeer (I mean don’t get me wrong, I actually still love all those things, but you know what I mean). It’s a very nostalgic tune. When I was a toddler I used to escape from my bedroom, swing open the back door, push through the gate, run across the road, wake up my neighbour Gloria and she’d make me English Muffins with butter and a glass of chocolate milk. The second verse was born form these memories. The chimey guitar solo is one of my favourite parts in the album. Lawrence’s vocals balance out the song’s textures perfectly. Lawrence, my brother, sung on nearly every song. A great influence & sound on the entire album.
Night Owl
1880s. A young gardener working for a wealthy family on their English estate falls for their daughter. Whilst their affection is shared, their desires to run away together are not. Listen out for the wicked piccolo parts along with some great string melodies. It was a little bit of a beast in the studio, gave us a few headaches, but the result for me is one of the best recorded tracks on the album.
Wild Roses Pt 1 & 2
Take a walk into an old dark forest, in which a young boy’s adventure awaits. A homage to my love of magical fantasy stories – my fascination and intrigue with something a little different from the norm. ‘Wild Roses Pt 1 & 2’ is a simmering instrumental anyone can escape within. Listen out for the cello and flute throughout the track. Sits right in the middle of the album to break the flow & freshen up your ears.
Aubergine Sewing Machine
Anabelle Kay features on this song also! The second verse is ripper. She has three harmonies flowing around my main vocal and it is minty fresh. We were so glad she agreed to sing on the record. She brought warmth, body and class – can’t imagine how it would’ve sounded otherwise! ‘Aubergine Sewing Machine’ is about the dreams and grand ideas that don’t work the way we planned. Whilst some things are trivial like buying a sewing machine and not finishing a single dress, others eat away a little bit more. Maybe it becomes a habit?
Gemstones
The small things you remember when you fall in love for the first time. In 2012 I travelled through Europe and distinctly remember a beautiful train ride between Prague and Hamburg. Little towns crept between the mountain valleys & as quickly as they came they were gone as the train sped along the riverside. ‘Gemstones’ evolved from that train ride. The sultry and sporadic horns set the tone for me.
Gold
I grew up playing Cat Stevens, the Beach Boys, John Denver, idolising The Beatles (like most) and Joni Mitchell, whilst watching movies like ‘To Sir With Love’, ‘Calamity Jane’ and ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ to the great delight of my mum. ‘Gold’ is a fun bluegrass, country spiced tune about the music I grew up on. Quite often I flick on Gold FM whilst I drive home from work. Blondie’s ‘Heart of Glass’ is always on, and it’s fantastic.
Rose Patterned Dress
The theremin was a late inclusion on this track, and I’ve been really diggin’ it. We chucked the sounds through an ice delay on the theremin’s North Pole setting, which was quite fitting I thought. It was a really cool vibe so we laid it down throughout most of the track. I feel the theremin brought Rose Patterned Dress together really nicely and gave the tune its own identity.
A Costume Store with Cakes & Coffee
After a brief moment in a costume store with cakes and coffee, a man falls in love with a woman that he’ll never see again. She becomes his obsession. Whilst this moment was of lonesome never-again-at-all occurrence, much aligned to the words of his family, it’s a bitter pill for the helplessly hopeful man to take. Melodica is the hero in this quirky tune. The varied ending became a little theme for the album with Wanaka and Wild Roses also having alternative endings. I think it was a cool way to finish the album.
Grow Up/Grow Down is out July 22nd, so don’t miss it! We’re all super proud of the album and think you’ll really love it too. It’s a refreshing and unique mouthful of music for all the awesome Australian (and world-wide) music lovers out there. We hope it finds you one day and it makes you smile!
