Hailing from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, now residing in Clare, Peach on a beach, or Larry Peach, is an established electronic artist making waves with his sounds. His music is inspired by the vibrant energy of the ’80s and ’90s and blends new wave, synth-pop, hip-hop, and even a touch of comedy rock. By day, Larry Peach works to champion his community as the tourism manager with the Municipality of Clare and the marketing coordinator for Gran Fondo Baie Sainte-Marie—Atlantic Canada’s biggest cycling event.
His latest single, “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree,” stretches out the pale of the usual celebration jingle to come out as a medley of memories, transience, and the lasting presence of things that hold the sentiment. “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree” homes in with a certain emotional core cutting through with a distinct synth-driven surround sound.
The track opens with a driving jingle arpeggio that sets the nostalgic atmosphere. Its layered synth textures, create a festive, spectacular backdrop for the vocals. The delivery is awesome, necessitating the listener into the narrative of a young man navigating a snowy Christmas, wrestling with life’s uncertainties while finding solace in the festive season.
The music video for “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree” embodies the nostalgic themes of the song quite well. The VHS filter plastered on the tapes of houses throws the viewer back to the good old days, inciting that warm and fuzzy feeling of childhood Christmases. Scenes of Peach decorating the title Charlie Brown Christmas tree in his home interspersed with Polaroid photos of him with Santa and family give an interestingly personal touch. The general atmosphere is undeniably Christmassy, giving warm, comfortable feelings of nostalgia. The simplicity and genuineness of the music video enhance the emotion of the song into a touching and memorable visual experience.
The structure of the song is simple, based on a repeating pattern of verse-chorus, but the slight shifts in instrumentation and arrangement make it not monotonous. Again, with the chorus comes the subtle addition of chime-like bell tones and chords, warming it and adding depth to the festive theme. The production is clean and modern, though it has a certain warmth, analog-wise. The synth sounds thick and textured; while programmed, the drums swing and groove naturally which adds up to give the song an overall organic feel. Where “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree” really shines is in its lyrical content. As the tree in the Charlie Brown Christmas becomes a touchstone to memories accumulated over decades. The song follows the tree’s progress from one location to the next, as the life changes go on, while the tree remains a constant amidst time.
With this, Joelle Peach adds background vocals, bringing an all-new dimension of depth to the emotions in this song, portraying mutual understanding and acceptance of what that tree means within a family circle. The bridge, “I wanted to toss it away / But you soon realized it just had to stay,” is the point where the narrator recognizes his urge to throw it away only to surrender to its permanence. This is even further sealed by the repetition of the chorus with slightly different words to hammer the theme of acceptance, the circular nature of memory.
Peach on a Beach has given the world a song full of emotional depth and sonic richness, showing great development as a songwriter and producer. His previous material proved he was coming, but with “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree,” he’s undoubtedly proved himself an artist ready for the big time, capable of music both catchy and yet infinitely meaningful. Stream “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree” on your preferred platform, and follow Peach on a Beach for updates on his upcoming releases.
