There’s something so distinctive — lyrically and musically — about Peggy Sue that it’s almost impossible not to be captivated by them — or rather, their music.
If you go
Peggy Sue supporting Jeff the Brotherhood
Where: DC9, 1940 Ninth St. NW
When: 8:30 p.m. doors, 9 p.m. show Tuesday
Info: $10 in advance, $12 day of show; ages 18 and up; 202-483-5000; dcnine.com
Peggy Sue is, after all, a U.K.-based trio of Rosa Rex, Katy Klaw and drummer Olly Joyce who make what publicists call “indie nomenclature from post-folk to anti-soul” but most of all would just call cool indie rock as evidenced on their just released album “Fossils and Other Phantoms.” “What is exciting is that I’m happy where I am now,” Rex said of her future plans. “I hope the song writing is better than we’ve done before, and now … we can move onto our next project. But all of our music is very, very personal.”
Peggy Sue wrote and recorded their new release in Brooklyn working with The Dodos’ producer, John Askew, at Atlantic Sound Studio with Alex Newport at Future Shock and others. But the sound and presentation is completely Peggy Sue.
“Lyrically, it’s me and Katy writing, and then we all kind of develop the songs together,” Rex said. “We definitely read a lot — I have an English literature degree — and I think like most writing our songs come from what you know. Yet with recording the album we wanted it to be tasteful [such as examining] endings and what happens after those endings.”
Combine that with eclectic musical tastes of the members and you have the makings for some great and often beautiful sounds, such as on “Yo Mama,” which explores self-worth, regret and longing.
“We always think it’s better to listen to a lot of genres and then create something completely different, our own,” she said.
Fortunately that type of creativity comes somewhat easily to the trio.
“I have played guitar and written songs all of my teenage years, really since I was quite young,” Rex said. “It was a very private thing, always very much for myself and very cathartic.”
When Rex met Klaw, the two began to play music together. Soon a person Klaw had approached with a CD of her own songs asked the duo to play a gig.
“Basically we kind of realized we write songs, and we got closer and realized that we shared influences,” Rex said. When they were asked to play a gig, “we made up the name, and wrote four songs. … We were a band then. That [gig] gave us the confidence because people took us more seriously than we took ourselves at that point.”
Since adding Joyce and playing frequently, Peggy’s sound has advanced quite a bit.
“Instrumentally, we’re just a lot better now,” Rex said. “We just are looking forward to writing more songs and coming to America.”
