Q&A: Peach Tree Rascals
UNAPOLOGETICALLY THEMSELVES - Peach Tree Rascals lets their most authentic selves shine through with every part of the band. Consisting of vocalists Tarrek Abdel-Khaliq, Joseph Barros and Issac Pech, creative director Jorge Olazaba, and producer/mixer Dominic Pizano, the group of friends tap into their most creative selves to come together to create Peach Tree Rascals. Honing in on an array of sonic elements, the band has made a name for themselves in the rising genreless DIY scene thanks to their dedication to their sound and visuals. Check out their new single “Things Won’t Go My Way” and read below to learn more about Peach Tree Rascal’s evolution, the value of their music videos and more.
LUNA: How have you seen your creative process evolve since you all first started making music together?
PIZANO: We love to do everything in house, and that hasn’t changed. But, we have started folding in some additional collaborators like Hiko, Ryan Raines and Gabe Reali. We like working with people that have the same mindset as us, which is that we go into every session just trying to make something great and that we’re proud of. We always know when a song is going to make the cut because it’s unapologetically Peach Tree Rascals.
LUNA: How often do you think about the listener, or even one another, when you’re writing?
ABDEL-KHALIQ: The thought of what other people might think of a song we work on is always present - but we take that energy to motivate us to be great. We always want the listener to put us in a category with other greats. At the same time, we know this mindset can mess with our creativity - so we try to find a balance in the middle of not forgetting about the audience, but not letting it dictate us. We never want to sacrifice our creativity.
LUNA: Sonically, is there an area you’d like to explore more with for future music?
PECH: When it comes to then sonic side of Peach Tree Rascals, we always do what sounds the best - despite genre. We all have different influences, but regardless, we each bring something different to the table that somehow sounds cohesive. With our resources getting better and being able to reach out to more collaborators and artists, I am hoping we can take the next step in terms of who we’re able to work with.
LUNA: What’s been inspiring you lately?
ABDEL-KHALIQ: Honestly, my friends and close collaborators. I feel like the Peach Tree Rascals' circle all wants the same results, but we all come from different backgrounds and influences and we bring out parts of each other that we don’t have on our own. Also, we’re always inspired by the greats. Some people whose level we aspire to be on include: Chance the Rapper, Tyler the Creator, Frank Ocean, John Mayer.
LUNA: I know you’ve mentioned you all bring in different tastes and influences and have cited Rico Nasty, Tierra Whack, Anderson .Paak and Clairo as some big artists for y’all, so who are some artists you’ve been listening to recently?
BARROS: We listen to so much - we try to show our fans what we each like on our Spotify playlists so they can get into our minds a bit more. I can pretty much speak on behalf of everyone that some recent favorites have been artists like Dominc Fike, Dijon, Choker, Roy Blair, etc. We are fans of music that doesn’t fall into a specific genre and is more focused on feeling than anything else.
LUNA: You accompany all of your tracks with super tight music videos - I really appreciate that and think that’s awesome! What ultimately lead to that decision? Why is it important to tap into that visual side?
OLAZABA: We wanted our branding to be a complete package for fans to enjoy. We thought having something for the fans to look at would make them appreciate the songs more and so on, plus it helped make people take us seriously I guess at the start and tell the story behind each song.
LUNA: Your videos so far have really showcased you all as individuals and your fun personalities as a whole, are there other directions you’d like to look into in the future?
OLAZABA: I definitely want to continue to grow as a director and start to experiment in making actual short films, but in our own “Peach Tree” way. I’m looking into this for some future projects this year.
LUNA: Is there something in particular you want your audience to take away from your music?
PIZANO: I think the biggest thing is that music doesn’t have to fall into a category and that we make music to help people feel something.
LUNA: 2020 has been an interesting year to say the least, so what do you hope the rest of 2020 to bring you?
PECH: Firstly, I hope everyone is staying safe with the current happenings! We can’t wait to get on the road this year and meet everyone that’s been supporting us since day one. We’re really hoping to continue the exponential success with each song drop this year, and that our music continues to infiltrate to new fans. I’m so grateful for what this year has brought so far, and I hope that when things settle down, things will continue to propel forward.
