Following a big year for the indie quartet, drummer Dominic Boyce looks forward to round two, kicking off with a new album, Happy People, out on 9 Feb, and a string of UK dates, including Leeds Brudenell Social Club, 29 Jan, Sheffield Queens Social Club, 30 Jan and Manchester Deaf Institute, 12 March.
What progression can be seen from In Love to Happy People?
I think there is a sense of growth from the first record. We’ve toured relentlessly so naturally become better musicians. We’ve had no time off since writing the first record so Harry (Koisser, vocals) started writing new, second album material the day we left the studio. We are also much more studio savvy, so with Happy People, there was definitely a more conscious approach to how we recorded things.
You stuck with Jim Abbiss on this album. Is his production an integral part of Peace’s sound?
I think the sound of Peace is the four of us playing together, but that’s not to take anything away from Jim’s input. Certainly from the point of view of the drummer, he has pushed me in directions on this record that I would never have felt comfortable going before.
You defy genre. Is it becoming less important?
I love the side of it that still allows you to go into a record store and browse 1960s-1970s soul and funk, or 2000s new metal. I hope that will never stop. However I think there are certain areas of the industry that care far less about a genre and more about branding, which confuses and scares me slightly. Ultimately music has and will always need to be labelled in some way.
Themes tackled in Happy People include anxiety, body image and vulnerability – is there a hint of irony in the title?
It’s hard to comment on Harry’s songwriting, but perhaps it’s just as much an observation into other people’s state of happiness as his own.
What were your highlights of 2014 and what are your hopes for 2015?
It was a funny year for us, because in terms of miles travelled, it was much quieter than previous years. But we played some great festivals, toured and made a new record – which is great to be able to reflect on. Looking forward, I think we’re all just eager to tour as much as possible and with new material out it just feels like round two.
ANTONIA CHARLESWORTH
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