Chad Price Peace Coalition

An artist entering his staggering fourth decade writing and performing music that weaves in and out of seminal pop-punk, alt-country, metal, and a fascinating indie folk-prog hybrid, Chad Price has made the most of his time.
All those miles and artistic transformations have now led to the welcome arrival of a new project. Chad Price Peace Coalition certainly delivers Price’s signature rough-hewn vulnerability and also kicks up some sublime musical moments that, yes, feel distinctly inspired by prog giants like Jethro Tull and Yes.

Opener “FAWN” may have crunchy guitars and throbbing Americana tremolo, but the twinkling Fripp-ish guitars and unpredictable, lilting melody signal that this is yet another artistic detour for Price. The subsequent songs flash artifacts from Chad’s other musical identities, but Peace Coalition feels like thrilling, new terrain. There’s “Rainbow,” a desolate transmission picked up on a dizzy Leslie speaker, and the low-key, dusty rock opera of “Sunflower,” with its jarring harmonic shifts. “Tongue” is a wonderful slow-burner that skirts Price’s alt-country bona-fides before blossoming into cathartic sheets of sound. Deep on side two, “AM” nudges up the tempo a bit, but instead of retreating into basic rock and roll, it coils into a menacing circular repeating pattern, threes over fours–or maybe vice versa. Chad Price Peace Coalition's A Perfect Pearl is a distinctly compelling listen, and like the best rock albums, it provokes and ultimately rewards an attentive listener.