Peach & Quiet pay homage to love and longing in their gorgeous new single Empty To Fill — premiering exclusively on Tinnitist.
Blending poetic lyrics of yearning and desire with a chiming track that seamlessly fuses folk, country, paisley pop and rock — and boasts some searing fretwork to boot — the romantic track is the first single from the B.C. duo’s upcoming debut album Just Beyond The Shine.
In keeping with the track, Peach and Quiet is a partnership in music, romance and life from the lushly forested and rocky shores of Pender Island, just off Canada’s west coast. This duo of Heather Read and Jonny Miller only found each other, emotionally, spiritually and musically in 2019. But they quickly discovered quickly the joy of singing together, which extended into songwriting. They both have the gift of poetic sensibility and abstraction that give birth to such lines as “Open me slowly, and you will find / eternal darkness and infinite light.” Somehow Heather’s crystal clear voice blends seamlessly with Jonny’s slightly gritty vocals to a sound that is greater than the parts.
Just Beyond the Shine, arriving Jan. 15, is chock full of love songs, mostly written to each other, an assertion that love can get us through these dark times of pandemic and social distance, a positive ray of hope. As one of the tracks on the album proclaims, they are “lucky in love,” and listeners will be fortunate to share the warmth that they offer.
The album was recorded during the depths of the pandemic shutdown. Thanks to modern technology, tracks could be recorded in Nashville, Toronto and Vancouver, as well as Victoria and Pender Island. Top musicians such as Steve Dawson, Adam Dobres and Jeremy Holmes were recruited, and the result is a gem of Americana, folk rock and country, with jangly guitars recalling The Byrds, weeping steel guitar that could have graced George Jones and Tammy Wynette albums, and vocal harmonies that bring to mind Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. The album was mixed by Steve Dawson at Henhouse Studio in Nashville.
Jonny and Heather were both born to play music. Heather’s dad was a Hammond organ master who gigged four nights a week for over 70 years, even opening for an upcoming singer called Tom Jones in his native Wales before emigrating to Canada when Heather was a baby. Heather sang with his band at legion halls at age 4. She took a long break from music to pursue a master’s degree and work in the publishing industry, but jumped back into it when she moved to Victoria in 2013, starting several folk bands. Jonny was raised by his mom, who was the first female radio engineer in Western Canada. His dad — a DJ in the U.S. — introduced Jonny to reggae and California rock. Jonny started earning a name as a singer-songwriter 30 years ago and has won Vancouver Island Music Awards and a People’s Choice award for accompanying a video in the Victoria Film Festival.
The chemistry and warmth between Heather and Jonny in their music is undeniable. Come feel the love. Listen to Empty To Fill above or below, and meet Peach & Quiet via their website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
