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Peter Derzbach

Hailing from London is this song, a force to be reckoned with. A song that’s one of the more successful marriages of Punk and Psychedelia that I’ve personally encountered over the last couple of years. And it’s here courtesy of The Buddha Pests. 

The Buddha Pests are a continental Punk and Alt Rock outfit fronted by the talented Peter Derzbach from Hungary, with Italian Alessandro and Nicola on the Lead Guitar and the Bass respectively, and Jonathan, a Spaniard, on the Drums. Having fronted the band since 2006, surviving multiple guises and lineups, Peter is an experienced musician with no little amount of dedication, and his optimism regarding the band’s current lineup is easy to spot the reason for.

She Doesn’t Bother is their latest single. Clocking in at nearly 7 minutes in length, it displays a band of capable individuals who are in control of their art’s time as they pull off the neat trick of making 7 minutes feel far less than that. The song starts with an expansive, reverb-driven introduction that’s heavy on clean guitars and sounds quite blissful, before the song explodes and remains on fire until it ends. The explosions are delivered via heavy-handed drumming, that’s tasteful, and an energetic, fast riff, that’s pumping and full sounding. The guitars are thick with distortion and the general vibes are rich with lush and cavernous reverb that lends the song a particular 80s sound that harkens back to Joy Division and very early Smashing Pumpkins. Peter’s voice is distinct, nasal, centered and in constant demand of attention, a truly capable frontman, who’s in luck having bandmates whose own voices mix in very well with his. A medley that is borderline Math Rock allows the bass and drums to have a moment in the Limelight, fueled by a gigantic, driven bass and chaotic off-kilter drumming, along with a melodic guitar line that’s also distorted to oblivion. The latter part of the song features 2 fantastically well played and paced guitar solos, with a delicious vibrato effect that adds a sweet edge of psychedelic joy.

A fantastic offering from an experienced band who clearly know how to deliver an anthem, not just an ordinary song. Pumping, driving, danceable, groovy, and rich are how I would describe The Buddha Pests latest single. Sublime.