Peter’s Window is the solo project of Peter Nichols of Great Valley, and much like his other band, Peter’s Window is full of whimsy and deliriously technicolor arrangements. However, where Great Valley often tended to venture into more grandiose conceptual territory, Peter’s Window deals in the near-claustrophobic minutia of modern life. Nichols’s lyrics initially seem very twee, but it’s clear that this dude understands the social/political implications that early twee pop bands such as Television Personalities captured.
Peter’s Window as a project ultimately seems largely about trying to figure out how to fit in, especially in a world that deals mostly in binaries. On songs like “Girls Don’t Like Guys In Bands Anymore” and “Woman,” Nichols subtly attacks conventional notions about masculinity and gender in novel ways. Elsewhere, “Alien” and “Hey NASA” turn space-minded lyrics into cloaked paeans about longing to connect and escape.
Musically, these songs highlight Nichols’s pop sensibilities but feature intentionally off-kilter arrangements. In this way, the music reflects his deceptively sweet words with its warped falsetto vocals, un-quantized drum machines, warbly synths, and wild contrapuntal guitars outlining pure pop melodies and chords.
Last Summer, on Earth + Hits from Grapey Day is available now from Feeding Tube Records and from Nichols’s Bandcamp. You can stream the album in its entirety below.
• Peter’s Window: https://www.peterswindow.bandcamp.com
• Feeding Tube Records: http://www.feedingtuberecords.com
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