Peel Walk Us Through Acid Star Track By Track

Today, LA duo Peel—the work of Sean Cimino and Isom Innis, who first linked up when they became members of Foster the People back in 2010—have released their debut album, Acid Star via Innovative Leisure. It makes sense that Cimino and Innis have served as the rhythmic backbone of one of the most popular pop bands of the last 15 years, as their steadfast knack for bouncing, hypnotic electronica sprawls beautifully across their first 10 tracks as a unit.

From the climaxing melodies of the title-track to “Climax,” which we deemed a unique convergence of post-punk, electronica and psychedelia earlier this year, to the ever so massive and swirling anthem of “Y2J,” Acid Star is a euphoric first turn for Peel—two musicians who’ve stepped out of the background to boast their own pop sensibilities. Cimino and Innis took some time to map out all 10 songs from Acid Star for us, so tune in and scroll through to see just how one of the year’s most vibrant and ambitious records so far came to be, and how Peel grabbed for the light to push it across the finish line.

“Y2J”

“Y2J” started in our first sessions in late 2020, initially just to experiment around. We were playing rhythmic patterns from memory from pop songs on the radio from when we were kids. Sean would make a pattern on his Korg ER1 drum machine and I would play drums over the top. When we listened to the rhythm track back, it had so much life that we wrote the following music relatively quickly. I remember we were listening to “Ego Death” by Ty Dolla $ign a ton at the time. Vocally, I think we were imagining what different features would sound like on the track, letting disparate identities exist all in one form. —Isom

“Climax”

Climax started as a pretty raw 4 part post punk idea that we recorded in my old loft in downtown Los Angeles. The drums and guitar were super metallic— bouncing around these industrial concrete floors that we had. It started to come to life when we added the synths, effects and a rhythmic dance energy. Itʼs one of my favorite moments on the record, in the bridge when the arp bass synth kind of takes the track over. Sean recorded the vocals really fast, reacting to the instrumental live in the room. The lyrics are inspired by the Gaspar Noe film Climax. —Isom

“Climax” serves as a through line to the music we initially created for our debut EP and was one of the first songs we completed for our album ‘Acid Star.’ We drew inspiration from angular post-punk guitars and basement synth textures. Isomʼs drumming is hands down the most creative—it consistently serves as a gateway for me to respond musically and vocally in an honest way. The guitars were often written quickly, sometimes even on the spot in response to his drumming. —Sean

“Manic World”

We were channelling the spirit of the ‘90s Manchester Creation Records bands and then merged it with hip-hop production. We bounced out a two track of a guitar part that I wrote during lockdown of 2020 and looped it for Isom to play along to. One drum take and done. It steered us to treat the guitar wall of sound like an MPC-style sample, with the song’s focus centered around the groove and vocals. The track has a really unique feel, stemming from the imperfect guitar loop, which I think adds charm and a sense of weightlessness. Lyrically, it navigates themes of hope and love within a chaotic, unpredictable world. —Sean

“In the Sedentary”

We kept joking that this is like our “Pump Up The Jam.” Thereʼs a lot of nods to early house production on this. Sean sampled our performances on his OP1 and put tons of drum machine all over it. —Isom

Isom and I like to initially start an idea by focusing on the rhythm. I had a Kraftwerk-inspired drum machine pattern and Isom played along responding to it in real time. Iʼd respond back by changing up the notes and patterns. We did this through out the album “Acid Star”. Very free form and improvisational. —Sean

“OMG”

“OMG” was another track that came from our initial sessions experimenting with childhood pop grooves from memory. Looking back, I think we tapped into a nostalgic space where a lot of musical ideas flowed in a very short amount of time. After the music was written, we wrote vocals and distilled the idea. The lyrics are about a psychedelic experience I had with my wife where I could see all these beautiful geometric shapes shooting from her forehead. It was really wild. —Isom

“Acid Star”

The term “Acid Star” came while I was scatting and playing guitar, and it just felt right to build the entire song around that word. That lyric is a tribute to the power of words beyond our everyday use. I was thinking of a term for someone, something, or an idea that is so meaningful – almost too important. Ultimately, this song is a tribute to my wife and a nod to artists like Richard Ashcroft, Oasis, and Lou Reed. ‘Acid Star’ as the LP title came well after we wrapped up the album. It was fitting because it evokes such a visual stimulation and obscurity of sound. It aligned with our musical inspirations that helped shaped the album- rhythms of 90’s acid house, rave culture, and the pioneering guitar bands coming out during that time. —Sean

“Pavement”

“Pavement” reminds me of something that would be played at the milk bar in clockwork orange, with a bulbous resonant Wendy Carlos synth bass line. Thereʼs even some baroque harpsichord in there. —Isom

“Cycle”

“Cycle” we wrote and recorded at Sergeant recorders in LA with Seanʼs brother Nathan Cimino engineering through all this vintage 1970s equipment. There is kind of a haunted twin peaks feeling to the studio. We were really inspired with how big the sounds Nathan was getting were right away. The drums have a Serge Gainsbourg touch that kind of juxtaposes Seanʼs arp synth line. The repeating arpeggio cycle of the synth was making me think of lyrical ideas about the life cycle. —Isom

“Cycle” is the most recent representation of where we were creatively when writing for Acid Star. We finished this song just before mixing and mastering the record in late 2023. I thought we had all the songs locked in, but my brother approached Isom and I about spending a few days in the studio just to see where our creative instincts would take us. Itʼs definitely a highlight on the record for me. —Sean

“Mall Goth”

We were exploring the more dance side of the record. There are a few videos of Daft Punk from an early ’90s tour playing on drum machines and samplers. Itʼs such an inspiring video. We were kind of doing the band interpretation of that, making a dance song where the bass line is the main idea of the chorus. —Isom

“The Cloak”

“The Cloak” came into the picture during that spontaneous session with Isom and Nathan when Cycle was birthed. I had an acoustic demo which was written only a couple weeks prior. A song in the form of therapy that I thought would only exist for myself. It seemed like a no-brainer to have Isom play the drums to it and see it come to life. I love the ethereal string and synth textures, all the while keeping the drums and the acoustic guitar as the grounding elements. It’s an honest way to wrap up the
record. —Sean

Peel’s debut album, Acid Star, is out now.