Peaceful As Hell is an incredible combination of twee indie pop and noise music.

Black Dresses are a band from Canada that have spent their few years on the scene prolifically turning out albums since 2018. On this record Ada Rook and Devi McCallion manage to articulate more of what makes them who they are, allowing them to differentiate themselves as one of the leading experimental alternative bands of the past few years. A strong thematic core runs throughout the alum as lyrically they draw from feeling uncomfortable and from isolation, similar to their previous work. 

The first track on this album ‘Left of Arm Life’ starts with menacing synth soundscapes before lead vocalist Devi McCallion comes in with sugary vocals reminiscent of certain artists — Kero Kero Bonito anyone? Great emo-isms of the naughties come through on this track with catchy singalong-worthy lyrics like ‘All We Can Do Is Try Again’. On ‘Damage Supressor’ the almost chilled atmosphere of the first track completely explodes here; the track has noisy impulsive synths crunching over a genuinely pretty piano melody. This track, like many on this album, is incredibly ambitious in terms of its arrangement. ‘Angel Hair’ has one of the more catchy choruses on the album, even pre chorus I feel myself getting prepared to scream ‘Let it goooo’. The instrumentation on this track, especially the glitchy percussion in the verses, creates a really interesting soundscape. 

‘Beautiful Friendship’ is such a bizarre song in the best possible way: a song that starts out incredibly intense and near-aggressive but by the time you hit the chorus it turns into this borderline-indie tune only to blast straight back into full on screamo. This track has grown on me quite a lot, with the mix of vocal styles really making the song stick out, finding myself singing the almost irritating chorus without realising it. ‘I’m A Freak Cuz IM Always Freaked Out’ Sounds like something you’d expect Patrick Bateman to listen to if American Psycho had been made in 2020. This is music that’s so menacing it feels truly evil at times, screaming ‘I just want to be nice’.

The start of ‘Bliss and Stupidity’ actually reminds me of indie pop band Los Campesinos but if they had shoved their sound in a microwave and electrocuted it to breaking point. Like a lot of tracks on this record, there are moments where the track seems to drowned in noise or excessive into its experimentation. However, it is this derision from conventional pop structures and arrangements that keep your undivided attention. Often songs feel like 3 songs on top of each other, which surprisingly works more often than not. By ‘MiRRORGiRL’ the depth of this record is really apparent. This track is quite intense at first but Black Dresses prove capable of countering their intensity with their genuinely catchy and lush melodies in the chorus, reminiscent of Crystal Castles.

‘Maybe the World Is Another Planet Hell’ is a much-needed break from the intensity. This track almost sounds like it was written by Grimes and has a definite sense of emotional reflection. Much slower and much more delicate than any of the others, this track is Beach House-esque in its cascading harpsichord-like synth tones. ‘Scared 2 Death’ follows the same vein as the previous track in the sense that it is one of the more relaxed songs on the album (which is saying something). When Black Dresses are quiet and intimate with the listener they really effectively create a balance with the intense distortion on their tracks. Vocally it is nice that throughout this album you can often hear what the artists are saying, genuinely leaving poppy hooks stuck in your head, which is odd considering how experimental this project is.

‘Express Yourself’ Is another distorted guitar-led piece that seems derivative compared to other tracks on this album, rarely delivering the same punch of other tracks until towards the end. Only to then massively bring it back with the following track: ’Sharp Halo’. This song is definitely one of the standout tracks. With its repetitive three note movement and lead vocalist chanting ‘I got a Halo’ it just makes you want to get into a mosh pit and fuck shit up. It has incredible arpeggiated synth sequences mid-way through; in fact the production and arrangement on this track are both incredibly impressive. ‘Impossible Dream’ is the shorted song on the album, clocking in at 1:22 — the way the vocal melody paces it out is similar to that of Guerilla Toss singer Kassie Carlson. ‘Please Be Nice’ is a really catchy song, reminding me of the pop sentiments of mid-2000s emo music, with its whiny vocals but massive singalong value.

‘Creep U’, the penultimate track, feels like it could have been the closing track to this album. It almost feels like a summary of the tracks you’ve heard before and presents a more refined and palatable version of Black Dresses sound. Using a lot more standard instrumentation and arrangement, this track has a bit of a ‘No Doubt’ vibe to it. With its sugary vocal delivery, this is definitely one of the sweetest tracks on the record. ‘666’ is a very pretty simple closing track by comparison to other tracks on this record and feels more like a bit of an afterthought that does not need to be on this track listing.

The real thing to take from this album is that this band is incredibly forward thinking. For a band that wears their influences on their sleeve, it’s actually incredible how unique they sound combining the best bits of dirty 00s electro synth with post punk and with twee bedroom pop, somehow concocting a very ambitious collection of songs. Coherently, start to finish, the album challenges the listener whilst still remaining catchy and memorable. At times, the album can feel repetitious or even overwhelming but this is often skilfully counteracted through blissful vocal melodies and structural change-ups that deviate from typical verse-chorus structure.

This album doesn’t slow down; Black Dresses’ incredible combination of twee indie pop and noise music really succeeds here. ‘Peaceful As Hell’ is one of the more intense albums I’ve listened to this year but it is definitely addictive and rewards those who give it repeat listens.