West David

“Angels of light have your souls in a vice / we want to be free / we want to be loved / we want to be kissed from heaven above” David West, Dream on Dreamer

When Tough Love first began putting out records, one of the guiding motivations was to release music that sounds like the music David West makes. We didn’t know it at the time, because we hadn’t yet heard of him. It’s funny how the very thing you’re looking for falls into your lap. If you don’t already know of David, and the various guises he performs under, then I’m a little envious, for you have a lot to discover for the first time. Peace or Love, is the second album to be issued under his own name. That can be either your starting point, or your continuation down a road.

The facts: Peace or Love is the follow-up to USA/Australia-based musical artist David West's 2015 cassette release, Drop Out Of Collage. Peace or Love is a collection of songs stemming from wild and free bedroom four-track cassette recordings and personal hard drive sample raiding, with contributions from various musical friends in Perth, Western Australia and SF/LA, California. West draws inspiration from free-thinking artists of the past and present on this polyphonic platter, from soft indie strumming and free soundscapes, to disco and soul-pop.

West currently plays in the guitar pop band Rat Columns, synth-pop project Liberation and post-punk trio Rank/Xerox, and has been in varied acts such as Lace Curtain, Burning Sensation, Total Control and Whalehammer. If you were feeling particularly grand, you could say that David West has created his own ecology, or you could just say he’s a very busy man. I told David over email that Peace or Love feels like an album that was made specifically for me. His reply? “It is for YOU. And YOU. And YOU. And YOU…Peace or love is the same thing - you want to be free and you want to be loved....but you gotta choose one” This is music from the margins that deserves a place in the middle of anyone's heart.

“it's peace or love baby / you said it before / that you want it all / it's peace or love, baby” - David West, Peace or Love

RIYL: Felt, Television Personalities, The Wake, Orange Juice, The Pastels, Young Marble Giants, Veronica Falls.