Pop princess Peach PRC releases her long-awaited debut album Porcelain this week.
The name comes from the idea that while Porcelain might appear fragile it’s actually incredibly strong. And when you dive into the album you quickly realise why it’s the perfect title. The narrative takes us deeper into Peach’s life, her struggles and the quiet strength she’s used to overcome them.
With gorgeous pop production by Konstantin Kersting (Tones and I, Milky Chance, Mallrat) and Larzz Principato (Dua Lipa, Tate McRae, Halsey), Harry Charles (King Princess, One Republic, Renee Rapp), and Space Primates (FIFTY FIFTY, Alesso, Stray Kids) and the co-writing prowess of Ryan Linvill (Dermot Kennedy, Conan Gray, and Chappell Roan’s Casual) and JBACH (Ava Max, Jason Derulo, Stray Kids) the album takes Peach PRC to a new level with her songwriting.
Porcelain is an album I’ve been looking forward to all year, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. While it’s Peach PRC’s first official ‘album’, Manic Pixie Dream was a lengthy EP and she’s easily released an album (or two?) worth of singles at this point so we’ve definitely heard a lot more from her than we often would by the time an artist’s debut rolls around.
I think I anticipated one or two breakaway pop hits to dominate Porcelain – and I’ll be honest, if this had been the case I wouldn’t have been disappointed – but it is so much more than that. Rich with powerful drum kicks and synth layers, it’s an incredibly consistent and beautifully produced pop album. I love that it’s a release where everyone is going to come away with a different favourite, and where your mood and state of mind will really dictate which songs you’ll gravitate towards.
Speaking of favourites, Pink was easily one of the standouts for me. It’s got the perfect pop song balance of being very catchy while actually being quite deep when you listen. I’ve mentioned many times that I enjoy this juxtaposition and I won’t bore you with the explanation again. It’s also a song that resonated on a personal level for me (not the only album track to do this). I moved out of home pretty young, I had a pink kitchen in my first home, everything I owned in it was pink, and I painted the walls to match. It’s deeper than this, but that’s the light and fluffy version.
The tinges of sadness heard in Pink are dotted regularly throughout the album as a whole and Peach PRC hasn’t been scared to get real on Porcelain, whether it’s the yearning for something more on Out Loud, the painstakingly honest The Palace (the lyric: The only thing they didn’t see was bones and wisdom teeth And I can’t bear to pull them out now has stuck with me since first hearing it) or final track Shirley Barber, which for me was probably the most quietly devastating track on the whole release. Overall though the album is complex and emotionally self-reflective without being morose.
I’m mindful that there’s many reasons this album cuts a little deeper for me than most, but I’m also confident it’s an objectively excellent release. Stepping outside of my personal experiences, there’s still a power in how she’s taken the journey and turned it into this beautiful record people are going to be singing along to. Porcelain is a stunningly produced album with glorious storytelling, and I’m so glad it was even better than my expectations!
Find out more about Peach PRC here.