Toronto’s Peeling has premiered Leisure Life, the first single lifted from their debut EP. The band, which is led by Kiev-born singer/guitarist Annabelle Lee and features Jimmy Tony Rowlinson (Dilly Dally) on bass, Denholm Whale (Odonis Odonis) on drums, and Alejandro Cairncross on guitar, have recently signed to Buzz Records. As Lee tells Noisey, that Leisure Life is focused on indifference and avarice, a punishing blast of hard-nosed post-punk that serves as a cutting rebuke to those who are, as the song’s lyrics put it, “making money off of war and institutional oppression.” Take a listen via Soundcloud below.
“Leisure Life is a song about self-interest and people with a bloated sense of entitlement” she says. “It’s about choosing the easiest route towards temporary personal gain and participating in behaviours that benefit you at the expense of others. From seeking validation through consumerism to having a warped sense of integrity under the guise of religion, it all comes down to apathy and greed.”
Building on her work in her previous project, Mexican Slang, Lee began conceptualizing Peeling in the summer of 2015, writing the songs that would eventually make up the EP before recruiting her bandmates and recording at Union Sound Company in December of that year. Exploring themes of sexuality, death, consumerism, religion, and mental illness, Lee describes the EP as being fundamentally about conquering fear. “It’s about shedding past traumas, transcending pain and finding a way out” she says. “It’s too easy to become disillusioned, I want to create catharsis and release.”
‘Rats In Paradise’ will be out on Buzz Records on October 14th. It’s available for purchase here.
Track list:
1. Magic Eye
2. Leisure Life
3. In The Sun
4. Wet Nurse
In support of the EP the band will be embarking on their first North American tour, which will include dates with Preoccupations, Death Valley Girls and Muuy Biien. Full details can be found below.
Tour dates
Sept 25 – Toronto, ON @ Bovine Sex Club *
Oct 12 – Ottawa, ON @ House of Targ
Oct 13 – Montreal, QC @ L’Escogriffe
Oct 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church ^
Oct 16 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel ^
Oct 18 – Atlanta, GA @ 97 Astoria
Oct 19 – Augusta, GA @ Soul Bar !
Oct 20 – Asheville, NC @ Jackson Scott’s !
Oct 22 – Birmingham, AL @ The Firehouse
Oct 24 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Comet
Oct 25 – Chicago @ The Empty Bottle
Nov 4 – Toronto, ON @ Baby G
* with Death Valley Girls
^ with Preoccupations
! with Muuy Biien
