Words by Emily Hollitt
Mastering every aspect of branding and the power of the parasocial relationship, Peach PRC has achieved something no Australian has done since the icon himself, Troye Sivan; translating her niche micro celebrity status into a huge, blossoming Pop music career. Her early TikTok videos and online vulnerable, open, often unhinged and always relatable content provided her with a plethora of devoted fans who deeply connected with her and, more importantly, cared for her. From the iconic Brad Mondo incident and the Enrique Iglesias Escape fiasco to every breakdown and vulnerable video, her supporters have been with her through it all. They’ve watched her and connected with her mental health and addiction struggles as well as watched her accept and define her queerness, while many were, and continue to, experience the same. Her music is just as fun as it is truthful, giving the fanbase a place to dress pretty and fully embrace who they are with and through her and her music. Now, she’s released her very first full-length album.
‘Porcelain’, which is named after her old moniker Peach Porcelain, which she used while working in adult entertainment in her past, features an image of her, lying naked in a forest, covered in flowers as the album art, which brilliantly and plainly conveys the record’s key themes and imagery. The record is a huge step since she released her first single Blondes in 2019, along with making her TikTok account, which drew her audience in. In 2021, she was signed to Island Records/Republic Records to release her debut single Josh, which was an instant hit amongst anyone who had every dated a ‘J name’ who ended up being a disappointment. Since then, she’s left a permanent mark on the Pop industry, and one of the biggest Pop stars in Australia’s recent history. The record was produced and co-written by a powerful team including Konstantin Kersting (Tones and I, Milky Chance, Mallrat), Larz Principato (Dua Lipa, Tate McRae, Halsey), Harry Charles (King Princess, One Republic, Renee Rapp), Space Primates (FIFTY, Alesso, Stray Kids), Ryan Linvill (Dermott Kennedy, Conan Gray, Chappel Roan) and JBACH (Ava Max, Jason Derulo, Stray Kids), featuring the best of the best in Pop to bring the rising stars ideas and personal stories to life!
Pulsating synths open Piper, before Peach’s soft, wispy voice creeps in. The song grows quickly, luring the listener in before leading up to a full, explosive chorus; an electronic instrumental drop decorated with her soft voice blending into the sound. The electronic drums play under the second verse, helping the song grow. The beat very much sounds like you’re standing outside of a club; distant but inviting. The overall sound of the song is reminiscent of early 2000’s pop trends interloped with the sounds of the 2010’s, much like a slower version of Cascadia’s 2004 hit Every Time We Touch, or the type of song you’d find nestled neatly into Britney Spears’ ‘Femme Fatale’ album. Peach’s omnichord harp-setting sound sets the foundation for Eucalyptus. “I know that I’ve said all that shit about God, I think I probably pissed him off, but I’ve never done this before” she sings quickly, almost like an anxious stream of consciousness. The song intertwines ideas of redefining and discovering her own spirituality, connecting with nature and healing. “If you could start again after your severed limbs, maybe then like you, I can recover”. Peach has always been explicitly vulnerable with her mental health, addictions and coping mechanisms, so this hopeful bop acts as a beacon of light for everyone who has seen themselves in the darkest parts of her music.
When you think of Peach PRC, you think of pink. The PINKEST of pink. So, the third track, aptly named Pink, nestles neatly into her branding and discography. Sweeping strings open the song over the sound of a motorbike revving and chirping birds, before the first verse opens up into her recounting all the pink in the rental where she grew up. It sets how ingrained this colour is in her life, and how it informs her self-expression. It ties with her relationship with her mother, and her mother’s relationships, homing in on with one angry, abusive partner she stayed with for years. This flips the meaning of the song in the second chorus “Everything is pink, mama, don’t you think?”, exploring the brightness of the colour as a way to smile through or bury down the painful realities of life. Cheerful, reminiscent pop production comes back in Hold It For Her, a deeply introspective track about how she holds grief for things that haven’t happened; fears and anxieties that she holds for her future self, in hopes to feel it before it comes.
“It makes it easy on me to feel it now,
it’s only a little grief that I hold.
Scared, so I only hold in experimental doses.
One day, I might put it down.”
She summarises in the bridge, plainly explaining the core message of the track.
Back To You follows the idea of being stuck on an ex-lover, while with someone new; a WLW version of Joji’s Glimpse Of Us. The beat drives the track, circling back to the core of Peach’s music; dancing through the pain.
“…I’m in your fingers every time that I’m with her
That I’m in, in your reach and I keep pulling on my leash
She’s a good girl, good at love and good for me too (Good for me too)
But I know I’d go back to you
I love her but I want you….”
Miss Erotica is very reminiscent of early 2000’s Pop, with the four-to-the-floor electronic beat and Ke$ha-inspired vocal effects. Reminiscing on her time as a stripper, the track is essentially the Like a G6 of music that explores the economy of female sexualization. “They go crazy for girls, girls, girls…” she repeats. She name-drops the club she used to dance at, Adelaide’s ‘The Crazy Horse’. Miss Erotica is an ultimately fun hyperpop track, with a clear dark undertone, a real track to think deeply through while shaking ass!
“I’ve never read the bible. But I’ve smoked a page or two” she sings to open Oasis. The song, again, battles with the ideas of spirituality, and finds her grounding herself in nature. “Why would I wait for heaven when just outside is a technicolour Earth?”, she repeats, critiquing the idea of living for the ‘afterlife’, when you should be living for now and appreciating the moment and the world we already have. The song is hopeful and upbeat, intertwining religious imagery with its sweet message. Celebrity Crush has the nostalgic sound of a rock band playing in the middle of a Disney original movie; the pop-punk (leaning more into pop) inspired sound, perfectly encapsulating the idea of the celebrity crush. Depicting the fangirl, parasocial relationship with a crush she has, Peach envisions the object of her affection adoring her like the ‘Directioners’ loved their favourite member, or the ‘Beliebers’ fawned over Justin, grappling with her own fame and regular insecurity.
I Wouldn’t Mind takes a more sombre turn, with Peach describing the constant battle of trying to love freely and wholly, despite the constant critique, safety risk and rampant global homophobia. The song focuses more on her partner and their struggles of being accepted by their own loved ones.
“I know your heart must hurt
I hear it beating slow under your shirt
The one you don’t wear at home
The colours say something they don’t wanna know.”
She sings in the opening verse. “Let’s just drive somewhere out of sight, and you can wear the clothes you like.”, she follows, expressing the safe space she’s providing for her partner. “I’d fight the man in the sky if he’s real, just so you can hold my hand” she sings, outlining the religious-based views on queerness. “How could a love this soft be something wrong?”. The Palace returns to her years performing as a stripper under the moniker Peach Porcelain, taking a much sadder turn than Miss Erotica did. The song opens and immediately sets the tone, “My dad says he hates my guts, but this club thinks I’m worth ‘bout 80 bucks”, depicting how easy it is to be lured into this kind of career. She leans heavily into the dehumanisation of the job, singing “Now holding hands has lost all its romance” in each chorus. Her voice conveys a longing and a desperation, as she feels through the lowliest parts of the job. “As I pour my next beer, pretending I’m not here… they don’t even know my real name”.
Finger-picked acoustic guitar opens Out Loud, once again, following a queer romance where her partner isn’t ready to ‘love her out loud’. “God, it’d be nice to brush our teeth together every night”, she sings, longing for the monotony of shameless, socially accepted love. “One day you’ll see, she’s gonna speak, and love me out loud”. The song stays fairly bare until towards the end, where the beat picks up, adding a layer of intensity to the sadness, almost like a fast-beating heartbeat. Her voice grows higher and more desperate as she sings, as if she is pleading for the reality she envisions for her relationship. She layers “she loves me out loud” over the final chorus, giving the song an emotional finish. “Tell them you love me, oh god. I’ll prove them wrong”. Shirley Barber was written in homage of the late author and artist of the same name. Barber was known for her whimsical, magical books with intricate illustrations, especially her ‘Fairyland’ series. Peach has spoken multiple times publicly about the impact the author and her imagery had on how she shaped herself to this day and posted a distraught TikTok in late 2023 after hearing of her passing. The song features a sample from a recording of the books, sprinkles throughout, for children to read along to. Peach mixes imagery of her story, including ‘light up shoes’, ‘tea parties’ and ‘daisy chains’. She likens Barber to a fairy in her garden and details the fairy deteriorating as she ages. “I fall asleep in her hands. I dream of distant lands and strawberry jam”, she sings, implying falling asleep to Barber’s work.
Peach PRC’s debut album has been dubbed ‘one of the most anticipated albums of the year’ across the country, and for good reason. ‘Porcelain’ shows off everything that makes Peach Peach. The music is sparkly and fairy-like, the tracks are equal parts vulnerable and danceable, the songs are all well-construction, and her stunning vocals are on full display. And, let’s face it, this foray back into recession pop couldn’t have come at a better time when fuel prices are this high!
Thanks to Island Records Australia
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