Peech. on Storytelling, Nostalgia, and the Lessons Behind “Small Town America”
Peech.’s debut EP, Small Town America, feels like it was written with the lights low and the door cracked, close enough to hear the past breathing, but far enough to know it can’t follow. These songs aren’t polished memoirs or tidy reflections. They’re restless, unresolved, and honest in a way that doesn’t ask for permission.
Across six tracks, Peech. traces the fault lines between memory and ambition, between the people who shaped him and the ones he had to leave behind. There’s no neat arc here, just the kind of emotional terrain you only find when you’re willing to sit with the mess. Whether it’s the quiet ache of “Be Together,” the raw clarity of “Got It All Wrong,” or the bruised optimism of “Going West,” this EP doesn’t try to fix anything. It just tells the truth.
We caught up with Peech. ahead of the release to talk about the weight of nostalgia, the cost of chasing purpose, and what it means to build something real from the pieces you didn’t expect to carry.
Your EP, “Small Town America,” balances looking back with moving forward. Was there a track where that tension felt strongest, where you had to wrestle with what to keep and what to let go?
The project as a whole holds a lot of emotional tension for me, but one of the strongest moments where I really wrestled with what to hold onto and what to let go was in “Be Together.” That song captures the ache of looking back on someone you loved deeply, knowing you had something real, but life pulled you apart. Lines like “barefoot on old dirt roads, passing through, I won’t stay for long, goodbyes without hellos” speak to that feeling like you’re always moving forward, but part of you is still stuck in what could’ve been. It’s a track where I let myself ask, “What if?” and sit with the weight of that question.
At the same time, there’s a desperate kind of hope woven through it. In the verses where I ask, “Did you ever think about me?” or admit, “I’ll take the blame for everything,” I’m trying to own my past while still reaching for redemption. It’s vulnerable and raw, especially when I say, “Let’s move and let’s forget, let’s start again.” It’s not just about missing someone, it’s about that tug-of-war between growth and nostalgia, between who I was and who I’m trying to become. “Be Together” was an emotional one for me to create because it let me lay all of that bare: the love, the mistakes, the regret, and still, the belief that something beautiful could be rebuilt.
“Don’t Miss Your Moment” really connected with people. Was it something you needed to hear yourself, or did you write it with someone else in mind?
It was definitely something I needed to hear myself. I've always lived by the idea that you have to take the risk or opportunity, even when you're afraid, because you never know what could come from it. That message is at the heart of this song.
When I wrote “Don’t Miss Your Moment,” I was reflecting on the times I had to leave things and people behind to chase something bigger. Like the line “I left all my friends back home, now only a few call,” it came from real moments of loneliness and change, but also growth. “It’s a lonely road to finding yourself in Utah,” isn’t just a lyric; it’s a truth I lived.
This song is about the cost of chasing purpose, and how even when it’s hard, even when it feels like you’re all you’ve got, you keep going. That’s why I say, “Stop callin', don’t miss your moment, hop on that plane…” It’s a reminder not just for others, but for myself too. There’s always fear, but there's also meaning on the other side of it.
“Got It All Wrong” feels honest in a way that’s tough to fake. Was it hard to write, or did the truth come out easily once you sat down with it?
This song actually came out of me really fast; it spilled out in one of those moments where you don’t overthink, you just feel. They came easily because the emotion behind them is something I return to often: the question, “Did I make the right decision?”
Moving forward in life, especially chasing a dream, sometimes means leaving things or people behind. And even if you’ve found some version of success, that question is still there: Was it worth it? Lines like “now I’m where I wanted to be, without the one I wanted here all along” are brutally honest, but they’re real for me. It’s about getting everything you thought you wanted, and still feeling like you left something sacred behind.
Writing this wasn’t hard because the regret, the doubt, and the reflection have always been close to the surface. That voice in the back of my head asking, "What's more important? Was it you or was it fame?” That’s not just a lyric. That’s something I genuinely sit with from time to time. So yeah, the song came easy, because the truth was already there, waiting.
“Going West” feels like escape and discovery rolled into one. Is that song about a real journey or more about your mindset at the time?
It was definitely both, a real journey and a mindset I had to adopt to survive it. I wrote “Going West” from a place of needing to find peace. I left home with just enough money to get to LA and cover a month’s rent. That was it. But I always had faith. Even when I felt like a train wreck, like in the lyric “I took the train west, spent my last paycheck, searching for ways to find my feet,” I never let go of the belief that I’d eventually find my way.
The song came from that mix of being physically lost and emotionally untethered. There was heartbreak, and there were people and places I had to leave behind. “Going west, I can't escape ya, but I’ll try my best” captures how sometimes you’re chasing a new start, even when the past still lingers.
A lot of these songs stem from that pain of letting go, of hoping the future holds something better. But they also hold hope. Like when I wrote, “God said hold on, you’re so close... don’t wait for tomorrow, live for today,” that was a reminder to myself that even in the chaos, there's purpose. There’s beauty in the pain if you’re willing to look for it.
Do you see storytelling as something shaped by your small-town roots, or more by the people you’ve known along the way?
I see storytelling as everything. Every experience, every person, and every place. My small-town roots taught me to slow down and notice the little things, but it’s the people I’ve met and the journeys I’ve taken that really shaped my voice. There’s meaning in everything we do, whether we realize it or not, and stories come from those moments; the heartbreaks, the risks, the quiet wins. For me, storytelling is how I make sense of it all and stay connected to where I’ve been and who I’ve become.
You sing about home, change, love, fear… all the real stuff. Who do you hope connects with this EP the most?
I hope this EP connects with the ones who don’t always feel seen, the people who are scared to put themselves out there, who are wrestling with the ups and downs of life, and trying to make sense of it all. These songs come from real places in me, and my hope is that they can resonate and bring some kind of hope or comfort to others walking their own path. I truly believe there’s a song for everybody in this EP, something that’ll meet you right where you are.
“Be Together” seems to carry a quiet kind of hope. Are relationships a steadying force for you, or something you’re still figuring out as you chase this dream?
I haven’t been in a relationship since I left home for LA a few years ago, and during that time, I’ve really been on a journey inward. I’ve learned a lot about who I am, what I need, and what I’m willing to fight for. LA can be loud, chaotic, and isolating all at once, and in that space, I’ve had to become my own steadying force.
The song lives in that in-between space where you’re chasing a dream but still wondering if, in another life, it could’ve worked out. It reflects the reality of leaving people behind, whether intentionally or by circumstance, and still carrying them with you in your quietest moments.
The beauty is in the growth. In learning how to stand still with myself, and in not rushing the next “hello,” even if I’ve lived through a thousand goodbyes. So yeah, I’m still figuring out relationships. But not from a place of lack. More from a place of finally knowing my worth, and knowing what it means when I say: “You're everything I need.”
What did making “Small Town America” teach you about yourself that you didn’t expect going in?
Making Small Town America taught me a lot about myself, but one of the biggest things was how much I was still holding onto. Memories, people, fears I thought I’d already let go of. I didn’t expect the process to be so emotionally honest. Writing these songs forced me to confront parts of my past and present I hadn’t fully processed yet. It reminded me that growth isn’t always loud and sometimes it’s in accepting where you’ve been and who you are now. It showed me that vulnerability is strength, and that there’s beauty in the mess, even when it doesn’t feel like it.
Looking ahead, are you focused on new music, planning to tour, or taking time to let this chapter settle before moving into the next phase?
I’ve got tons of music I can’t wait to share. This first EP is really just the beginning of the story. Right now, I’m focused on getting more songs out into the world and connecting with people through live shows. I’ve got a few shows coming up, including my Small Town America EP release show at Soundwell SLC in Salt Lake City on August 21st, which I’m incredibly excited about. Then I’m heading to Nashville for my Whiskey Jam debut on August 28th! A full tour is definitely something I’m hoping to plan soon. This is just the beginning.
For more information on Peech. visit his website, Facebook, Instagram, and/or TikTok.