Peter 118 returns again with another short blast of pop punk goodness in Need You More, an ep filled with what is now trademark catchy hooks and choruses with a bit of edginess thrown in from time to time.
After becoming a Christian, Peter Field dedicated his life to sharing the gospel through the punk community and as a result, started the band Ambassadors of Shalom who signed to Thumper Punk Records in 2012. In 2014, he began focusing on his solo project, Peter 118 and released the very catchy “Radio” followed by “Make it or Break it” in 2015. Now adding Janine Read and Sam Critchley, he has a supporting cast to back him up.
Need You More is basically a short ep with 4 new songs from Peter 118 that showcases the punk and pop sensibilities of Peter Field (Ambassadors of Shalom). The title track is represented in two forms, a very poppy punk version and then a more electronic, more traditional pop version, both of which feature some great guest vocals by Lisa Cox, who throws a bit of a Susanna Hoffs (Bangles) vibe. Lyrically, the song is about finding focus on God and not in the things of the world which quickly fade away and manages to be quite catchy.
The next two songs, “Everything About Me” and “Where I Am” lean more toward the punk side of things than the pop, but still manage to keep the accessibility and edge to them. “Everything About Me” has a catchy guitar riff to open things up and then the riff returns throughout the song after yet another catchy chorus. “Where I Am” has a bit of a new wave keyboard intro, but then the guitars come in to tak over and throughout the song there is great verse – response between male and female vocals that gives the song a bit of an older feel to it, but again there is a great hook in the song.
“Make Up My Mind” takes things to an acoustic side and similar to “Where I Am” has some great female vocals but in this case providing more of backing style rather than a counterpoint. Overall, a slower song with just guitar and vocals but still doesn’t seem out of place.
Peter 118 definitely has a knack for writing catchy, hook-filled rhythms and melodies and has the lyrics to match. Vocals and clean production are hallmarks of pop punk and this ep checks all of those boxes, especially with the vocals. The female vocals balance out the slightly gritty male vocals and there is also enough grittiness in the mix at times to lean more toward the punk side of spectrum of pop punk.
Rating: 8/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist:
1. Need You More (feat. Lisa Cox)
2. Everything About Me
3. Where I Am
4. Make Up My Mind
5. Need You More (pop remix)
Musicians
Peter Field – Guitar, vocals
Janine Read – Bass, vocals
Sam Critchley – Drums
Record Label: In Presence Records / Thumper Punk Records, May 2016
Albums:
“Merry Christmas to You” ep (2015)
“Make It Or Break It” (2015)
“Need You More” ep (2016)
Weblinks: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Bandcamp
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission
Video below: ‘Need You More’