Songwriting truly is a craft and few genres have such a thin line between greatness and “meh”ness as powerpop. Whereas in punk you can offset a lack of skill with intensity, volume and passion, in the less loud subgenre of classic powerpop it’s pretty tough to hide. However, those that do have the talent, ability and determination can make quality powerpop sound almost effortless. Cristopher Peifer is one such artist, as shown with his work in Kowalskis, Blockhouses, Sir, Frances Farmer My Hero, and Heavy Creatures. I am particulary enthusiastic about his recent solo work.
Sacred & Profane is Peifer’s third solo record in as many years. It completes his Covid trilogy and like the previous two it showcases his top notch songwriting skills. Sacred & Profane has a warm production, well developed songs and is full of hints of Paul Westerberg, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and Alex Chilton. Like these artists, Peifer takes his songwriting seriously while maintaining an authentic sense of rock’n’roll. Sacred & Profane is a subtle record full of concise power pop gems, with a new favorite popping up on each play. Listen to two of my current favorites below.
Peifer is ready to leave the pandemic behind, and plans on finally touring this project in 2023. New music in the works as well. We’ll be listening!
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp