Signing Story: ill peach

Date Signed: January 2023

Label: Sub-Pop

Band Members: Jess Corazza and Pat Morrissey

Type of Music: Alt-Pop

Manager: Chris Mcilvenny & Nic Damasio

Legal: Elliot Resnik - Masur Griffitts Avidor LLP

Publicity: Bekah Z Flynn, [email protected]

Webhardlyart.com/collections/ill-peach

A&R: Matt Kolhede 

Alternative pop band ill peach (the lowercase is deliberate) formed during the pandemic, but the seeds, or perhaps the peach pits, had been sowed long before that. The duo of Jess Corazza and Pat Morrissey met in high school where they were in an acapella jazz group together.

    “That’s where we learned everything,” laughs Morrissey. “Then we moved to New York actually, to focus on songwriting for other artists. We got a little burned out in New York, and decided to move to L.A. to pursue songwriting and producing for other artists. Then, we also got burned out with that. That’s what led us to wanting to express ourselves in a more true, unique way to who we are.

    The pair have coined the term grit-pop for their sound, which is perfectly on display with the tracks “Comotose” and “Heavyweight”, their first for Sub-Pop.

    “I think it’s a hotchpotch and weird fusion of dirty garage pop, weird sounds, but at the core of it it’s about the song,” says Morrissey. “Jess has a very interesting perspective on things. So, it’s ended up being this very colorful process. We’ll both collaborate on the production, and then we’ll both write the songs together. That’s kind of the vibe.”

    Sub-Pop had been impressed by the “Comatose” single, and wanted to put it out. The ill peach pair were, in turn, impressed with the Sub-Pop team and signed on.

    “We ended up deciding that it would be a great place to put out our debut album,” Corazza says. "I think that they are a legendary label and obviously their roster speaks for itself. But beyond that, they’re just a bunch of music heads. Living in L.A. and going to Seattle, getting to meet the team and everything, was an eye-opening experience. Like, ‘Oh you actually just love music.’ It felt like we really connected on that and it didn’t feel very industry at all, which was really refreshing.”

    “Heavyweight” is the most recent single, penned last summer, and it’s the first they actually recorded since signing to their new label. It’s also a more personal song than their usual fare. – Brett Callwood