Passenger Peru is a Brooklyn-based melodic rock duo who experiment with neo-psychedelic noise, extreme dynamic shifts, and bare-boned lyrical odes. “The Best Way to Drown” is the lead single from their sophomore album Light Places, scheduled for release on Fleeting Youth Records Feburary 24.
The first guitar whirls and percussion clicks of the track sound like they come from a Battles track (disorienting tones whirl around your headspace in carefully-articulated intervals), but the introduction of PP’s particular style of vocal delivery quickly destroys this similar imagery in my mind. Hard-panned single string strumming makes the tonality of the verse somewhat ominous before the chorus progression comes in. The first few changes could come from a metal song, but before things get too heavy the words come back in (“here come the waves over the mountainside / wash me away wash away all my life”) and return a sense of melodic order to the poor listener’s delightfully befuddled ear.”The Best Way to Drown” is at once zany, imposing, and cathartic – a true sonic journey for a digital-age listener.
You can listen to more Passenger Peru tracks on their bandcamp, and you can watch the video for “Heavy Drugs” below.
