“Pride is the only thing that lets you stand up to misery…the kind of misery the whole stinking world is made of!” So says one protagonist in Todd Haynes 1991 film Poison, and a quote that comes to mind when thinking of the artist known as Peaches.
While sexual confidence is undeniable when observing and engaging with Peaches’ music, pride is really that element of her music that disrupts your social norms.
“I think my song, ‘I Mean Something’ is in tune with that. The idea is that no matter who you are or how you’re formed, you mean something,” says Peaches, “It’s not just a sexual thing, there’s an empowerment too.” Peaches is talking about her latest album Rub, released this month, and going by the hypnotic hooks on every track, it is hard not to expect ‘Fuck the Pain Away’ (from her 2000 release The Teaches of Peaches) to start after every track.
“I did feel [a return to that mood], like I was going back to the roots,” Peaches says after the comparison to her best known track is made, “I just try to write what I really want to say”. It’s an arousing statement, and one that any creative person would do well to not dismiss as too simple.
[include_post id=”442023″] Peaches has always encouraged a ‘down for anything’ mentality, and in our sex obsessed culture, that is very easily misconstrued with getting laid. Peaches subverts instead, and Rub offers aggression on ‘Free Drink Ticket’ to rival the bravado and ego present on Kanye West tracks like ‘Hold My Liquor’.
“Yeah, there’s a lot in that song” Says Peaches, talking about ‘Free Drink Ticket’, “There’s obviously a relationship gone wrong. A lot of people have said ‘I bet that person knows you’re talking about them!’ Like I’m trying to make them feel bad, but it’s more about when you’re so in love and get hurt and it turns to hate. It’s crazy that this person you loved so much all of a sudden has become your worst enemy and you hate them and seriously want to kill them. It doesn’t last forever but for a time you want to harm them or hurt them. So I wrote this back in that time, and I thought ‘I’m not going to hold back’ because people really feel this. It’s a true emotion and I think a lot of people can relate to it.”
Those familiar with still being at a club after 4am will no doubt recognise these emotions. There’s a strong sense of trying to force out demons, or to mask them with various vices in the song.
Though Peaches is adamant to point out that staying out wanting to hook up is not a feeling associated with the song. “I don’t think there’s much sex in that song. It’s more about love and aggression,” she interjects after the limited interpretation is put forth.
“You never know [how sex will go down]” she continues, “It could be surprisingly good. Maybe you’ll never go for it because you’re saying ‘that’s not me’. It can work both ways but you definitely have to protect yourself”. As always, Peaches brings a lesson.
Whatever your pleasure, Rub will continue to have you questioning what even Peaches calls her own “arrested state of just trying to understand sexuality and gender”. As gender politics is discussed in mainstream media in a way that has never been so open, it is easy to forget that club culture was once the way many explored their sexuality. Though as Peaches ages, the discussions she forces are still about the inhibitions we need to lose. Inhibitions still linked to sex and desire, but there are always new hurdles to jump.
“Right now, we’re having a lot of women in power sharing that power and really speaking out. That’s really exciting” Peaches begins as the conversation turns to improvements she’s noticed for women in the music industry, “I also think that a younger generation, not just women, they’re really more open to older women. I’m experiencing it first hand. I think people are being less judgmental about age. It’s really exciting to see,” she says.
“A lot of the conversations for men as they age is ‘well what are they going to do, they need Viagra’ but do they talk about menopause? No. What are women going to do?” Peaches asks, and her questions are as much open to be answered by men, as they are any gender.
Going by the music videos released so far from the album, for tracks ‘Close up’ featuring Kim Gordon, and ‘Dick in the Air’ with Margaret Cho, it’s clear that Peaches favours throwing the most inclusive party. While you may be more partial to this fan video of a Peaches song against Bonnie Tyler videos, sometimes you just have to let yourself be rubbed by someone’s provocation. Who knows, you might like it.
Rub is out Friday September 25th via Kartel Music Group / Rocket Distribution.
