Live Review: PREMIERE: PEY PEY makes a powerful arrival with 'Honest With You'

Fresh-faced PEY PEY makes her arrival in 2020 this week with the glorious 'Honest With You'. An ode to emotions in all their beautiful chaos, it's a hard-hitting but raw moment that packs a punch and is premiering exclusively on Purple Sneakers today.

With a strong element of nostalgia, 'Honest With You' is a romantic pop ballad complete with stunning vocals and 80s synths, but PEY PEY employs these in a way that keeps the song from venturing too far into cliche territory. Instead, working with Adam Xycore, she keeps it forward-facing in its dynamic and unpredictable twists and turns as it grabs you instantly and never lets go. Its deliberate look at the growing pains of life takes guts, and it's PEY PEY's ability to remain unafraid as she exposes herself that makes this song such a powerful listen.

Speaking to Purple Sneakers, PEY PEY said, "Ultimately, this song is a wake up call. It’s about being honest with yourself. And you, the listener. It’s a tantrum of sorts. A love letter to Melbourne. And most importantly, it’s about going on with life and never giving up no matter how horrible you feel. It’s about picking yourself back up and saying “Despite everything, I’m going to get myself together and I’m going to do it for me”

Artistically, I don’t like to sugarcoat reality, that’s why writing happy pop songs don’t come naturally to me. Even when I try and sit down to write a happy pop song there always ends up being some sort of satire, irony or sadness lingering.

I think ‘Honest With You’ captures a very specific era in my life. I was 19, alone in Melbourne, away from family and friends. It was only one month but it felt like a decade. I learnt so much about who I was as an artist and it’s the year I really started to discover glam rock and David Bowie, which has now shaped me into the musician I am today. When I listen to the end of this song, I hear a final farewell to “Peyton” thus the birth of PEY PEY."

Take a listen to 'Honest With You' below!

Words by Emma Jones

Image: Supplied

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