New Music: Lisa Molinaro – Peach Fuzz

With her Blind Trust album out next month, Portland-based Lisa Molinaro has shared the appropriately buzzy Peach Fuzz.

You’ll probably already have appreciated the musicianship of Molinaro without realising, due to her work with Modest Mouse as a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist; The National; and The Decemberists in recent years. Peach Fuzz doesn’t feature her treasured viola, however, instead placing the focus on her vocals and a grungy, shoegazey guitar presence.

You’ll love her vocals here, as she finds the perfect balance between wanting to convey the tension within the lyrics and delivering in a cool and collected style. The track is inspired by moments that would make many angry, but Peach Fuzz doesn’t go there. Possessed of that Pacific Northwest melodic-yet-edgy dyad, it’s a declaration of survival, and a positive, comparatively chilled-out one at that.

“Peach Fuzz is about a progression to freedom,” states Molinaro. “I wanted to express how we can experience a joyful release when we realize we are no longer subject to oppressive behavior, or when we refuse to submit to it.”

“As a female in the music industry, I have both witnessed and experienced shades of discrimination, alienation, objectification, minimization, and dismissal. And we know that this happens everywhere, in so many professional settings. So, this peach, it’s the juicy prize, the reward, and many of us in life – female or otherwise – are persuaded to bite off the bitter skin and leave the sweet flavor for someone else. I am calling out those claim jumpers of sorts who feast on the flesh and move on to the next fruit.”

“But…I wanted to make it a playful song! Although the topic is serious, there is this humorous, prescient quality to the speaker. And when the chorus comes, the song opens up with gilded harmonies and this mocking tone. It’s the truth, but in this before-and-after scenario, you can look back and sorta laugh.”

Blind Trust is out on the 17th of July and can be pre-ordered in digital format on Bandcamp. For pre-save options and other album news, follow Lisa Molinaro on Instagram or TikTok.

Header photo by Mary Gluczycki