The Sobering EP is a tremendously inspiring effort that marks the meteoric rise, bottoming out, and reclaiming of Nick’s life. With tracks including Put This Bottle Down, Every Morning, and Sobering, Peay is able to tell a story of lost love, coping mechanisms, and bundles these themes up in a stellar singer-songwriter style that is equal parts pop and rock. Put This Bottle Down is a quick-hitting introduction to Peay’s music; while the song concludes at the 2:30 mark, the theme continues into Every Morning. The frenetic energy that is exhibited here takes up hints of Soul Asylum and Counting Crows, but these five efforts possess a greater thematic cohesion than any album we’ve heard this year. Every Morning keeps things in the top gear, with punchy drums, insistent vocals, and sizzling guitar work that is sprinkled amongst the track.
I Won’t Fall In Love is a bluesier effort; one can feel the dark lights of the bar and the encroaching sorrow and blind rage of a bender. The guitar and dusty vocals of Peay during this effort take up the standards of Stereophonics and Tom Petty. Love is here; Peay thinks “he’s had enough” and the EP moves into Sobering. The arrangements are more chaotic and Peay feels involved with the rest of society. There is a move towards a clean state of living but with more than a small sense of self-doubt.
The Sobering EP concludes with a reprise of Put This Bottle Down, this half-sized track showcases a sense that the sobriety may be possible. Peay’s Sobering is one of the few EPs that we have received that tells such a vibrant story.