Breathe in, breathe out, and let the enlightening pop-rock mantras from Wicked Peace be your guide. These Lexington, KY oddballs pair transcendental instrumentals with hook-heavy, soul-bearing lyricism for a singular sound that doesn’t just flow, it levitates right off the stage. Zig-zagging between power pop and Americana, detouring anywhere a song takes them along the way, Wicked Peace blends its members’ disparate influences and southern background into a soulful sonic smoothie designed to help you find your zen.

In 2013, frontman Tanner Blevins and guitarist Patrick Brumback shared a Morehead State dorm room hallway and musical dreams. With Tanner’s older sister/songwriter Amanda on board, the band quickly self-released 2014’s charmingly-DIY debut Conclusions, featuring personal, scornful laments of love lost, softened only by the abundant loose acousti-pop at play that would become their template moving forward. They followed this form with 2015’s self-effacingly titled Growing Pain.

The band then traveled down to Music City to cut the fullest realization of their musical visions yet: The Edge EP, recorded at Blackbird Studio. After a series of back-to-back singles featuring an evolved sound and lyricism recorded with Lexington’s own Duane Lundy at Shangri-La Studio—“All of Me,” “Halfway,” “New Addiction,” and “Tubesox”—the band took a step back to focus on their live show.

With the addition of a powerhouse rhythm section in Matt Holleran (drums) and Jared “Hippie” Davis (bass), they also took a deep dive into production work, building their own Butchwood Studios in the process. With a wealth of self-produced material and a fresh, muscular band to perform it, Wicked Peace has entered their most productive period to date, with new songs, videos, and shows coming at a nonstop clip—including 3 EPs (THE PORTLAND EP, THE EVENING EP, THE HIGH ROAD EP) and two singles (“(Take Off My) T-Shirt” and "Ur Welcome")—culminating in their debut full length album, 2019's Rock N Roll Racecar.