Peach Pit

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Vancouver indie rock quartet Peach Pit combine uptempo surf rock with melancholy lyrics for a style which has been dubbed “sad pop.”
Formed in 2014 and possibly named after the iconic diner in the cult ’90s teen soap Beverly Hills 90210, the band comprised high school pals Neil Smith (vocals, guitar) and Chris Vanderkooy (lead guitar); Vanderkooy’s childhood friend Peter Wilton (bass), and Mikey Pascuzzi (drums). Smith had previously played in the folk band Dogwood and Dahlia, while Vanderkooy and Wilton had learned to play guitar together under the same teacher. The band clicked naturally and began writing songs, practicing together for a whole year before playing their first gig. They released their debut album, Being So Normal, in 2017 through local D.I.Y. indie label Kingfisher Bluez; it was named after negative feedback they received from the judges of a battle of the bands contest. Peach Pit went viral after a fan in the Philippines, who had a popular online video channel, shared their eponymous song “Peach Pit.” Soon they started gaining fans all over the world who connected with Smith’s melancholic, even depressive lyrics drawn from his own life experiences. They toured the U.S. and Europe and soon signed to Columbia, which released their second album, You and Your Friends, in 2020. ~ John D. Buchanan