thePULSE
JENNY PACILLO
Don’t let the somber intro to Peregrine’s newest single “backpack”
from their upcoming album “the awful things we’ve done” fool you.
It soon gives way to a six minute journey that shifts from upbeat to
intense, transitions into a dreamy ballad, and ends with a powerful
finish. “I would describe it as heavy, intense, emotional, raw,” singer
Nate MacKinnon explains. When compared to their previous two
albums, guitarist Tom LaVergne describes their soon to be released
third album as, “More intense than the previous two. We explored
more space, and tried more things than we would have tried before.”
MacKinnon and LaVergne, along with drummer Bryan Parandes,
have been a self described “music collective” based out of Worcester
since forming in 2015. Their first two albums, “As One Would Exist
Within the Crescendo” and “Sorry About the Mess” were highly received.
“the awful things we’ve done”, their much anticipated third
album due out in early March 2022, has a more ominous vibe than
their previous releases. “We wanted our music to be darker and more
current,” LaVergne states, “Not just ourselves, but a lot of people
we know are going through shit right now and things aren’t getting
better for everyone.” “the awful things we’ve done” promises to be
intense and emotional, and MacKinnon’s vocals followed suit. “We
all leaned into and explored our instruments a lot more on this record,”
says LaVergne, “including Nate’s voice”. The album’s title is the
band’s reflection on the current state of the world, which they feel has
been challenging as of late.
Peregrine used a phased approach when it came to recording, “the
awful things we’ve done”. The band describes bringing the album to
life throughout the summer by building it piece by piece and integrating
other musicians. The recording process began in May 2021 at
Machines with Magnets in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. “I thrashed the
drums for three days to lay down the best tracks I could,” Parandes
recalls. “We went to the next level in our performance. I personally
hit every drum twice as hard on this album,” he adds. Peregrine was
able to take their time over summer and enjoy a collaborative process
with friends in LaVergne’s home studio. Patrick Murphy from the
Oracle mapped out different ideas for synth tracks with LaVergne,
while Backwards Dancer’s Zack Shaw and Christian Holden from the
Hotelier both added vocals. “It was nice to get three of our friends/
co-musicians to contribute,” Mackinnon tells me, “Hanging out with
friends and making music are the top three things to do in life besides
breathing and eating.” Peregrine finished up the summer at
Reclaim Studios in Thompson, Connecticut before returning to Machines
with Magnets in September to complete the album. Peregrine
thrives on collaboration and appreciates the added layers revolving
contributors help add to their music.
Going forward, Peregrine is actively working on new material. “We’re
writing more things, just because we’re not playing shows at the
moment, that hasn’t stopped us from getting together and writing
more,” LaVergne explains. The band will be ready for live shows when
Covid restrictions begin to ease up. “We’re going to attempt to exist
in whatever facets we can that make the most sense for us healthwise,”
MacKinnon adds. In the meantime, Peregrine will release two
more singles, including “a polite merlot”, before “the awful things
we’ve done” drops in early March 2022. You can enjoy Peregrine’s first
two albums on their Bandcamp, and their newest single, “backpack”
is available on Spotify.
