The LA trio talk trusting their instincts, creative tension, and making space for what’s real
ill peach started as a place for Jess Corazza, Pat Morrissey, and Jesse Schuster to make music for themselves. After years spent writing and producing for artists including SZA, Weezer, Pierce the Veil, PVRIS, and Pharrell, the longtime friends realized the songs they were making had become too specific, too personal, and maybe a little too weird to give away.
Now based in Los Angeles, the trio have taken that instinct even further on their latest album, EAVESDROPPING. Built around the idea of listening in on the things people say when they think no one is paying attention, the record finds ill peach tightening their sound without sanding down the strange edges that make it theirs.
We caught up with the band to talk about making EAVESDROPPING, growing up around the Minneapolis music scene, creative tension, leaving New York for LA, getting away from the noise of the internet, and finally finding a formula that feels like their own.
To start, where are each of you from originally, and where is ill peach based these days?
Jess: We all grew up in Mound, Minnesota, and currently reside in Los Angeles.
Where did the name ill peach come from, and has its meaning changed since you first started the project?
Jess: Honestly, we just liked the combination of the words. But when we originally formed it with just Pat and me, we were very yin and yang. So it felt like a nice nod to that. Who is ill and who is peach?
Looking back, what made you realize ill peach needed to exist instead of continuing to only write for other artists?
Pat: It happened naturally, but I think we just started making music that was too specific to our point of view, and it became difficult to pitch to any other artist. At that point, we realized we probably needed a healthy outlet or a designated place to make music for ourselves. You can get burnt out easily if you don’t have a creative outlet for yourself.
You’ve all been playing shows and touring with ill peach. Before the band, was live performance already a big part of your lives, or has this been your first real experience on the road?
Pat: I actually grew up doing musical theater when I was super young. Like 7 years old. My whole family was in the business. So trying to entertain people was all I cared about when I was a kid.
How has moving from New York to Los Angeles changed the way you make music—and the way you live?
Jess: New York is so magical. But it requires the utmost adrenaline and energy to sustain it. We just got burnt out on the rat race. It always felt like you were maximizing everything there without much return. Moving to LA was a huge adjustment because the pace is so much slower, and it feels like health and mental health are a focal point. Being able to be in nature, have sunshine every day, and go to the ocean are such huggggge bonuses of LA.
How did you connect with Handwritten Records, and what made it feel like the right home for EAVESDROPPING?
Pat: We met Dave (Handwritten founder) through our attorney years ago, and we had a couple meetings about working together, and it just didn’t happen. Then, when we were looking for a label for this record, Jesse suggested Dave because he plays in Jean Dawson’s band and got to know Dave and really liked his vibe. I always liked what they were doing over there, and since all three of us had a relationship with him, he was the first one we called.
What were some of the live shows you saw growing up that made you want to start a band?
Pat: Jesse and I were in a band, and our best friend Jeremy Hanson had this old Saab Cabriolet convertible. He was the first friend to get a driver’s license and a car, so he gave us rides everywhere. Jeremy was always early to the coolest bands. His older brother was in a band with my brother, and he just always had the best taste. He would play Flaming Lips, Grandaddy, early Death Cab for Cutie, Built to Spill, Interpol. Minneapolis has such a strong connection to local music too, and it was actually really easy to play around town. Most venues were all ages. So seeing so much live music there really had a strong influence. I do remember seeing Coldplay at First Avenue on that first album tour and Death Cab for Cutie on their Transatlanticism tour a week later. That definitely changed me.
What's one creative risk you took on EAVESDROPPING that almost didn't make the final record?
Pat: CRUMBS originally started as this UK indie dance track, and Jess hated it. We rented a house in Joshua Tree, and it was one of the last nights where we maybe made like 8 ideas that day, and it was 2 a.m., and we just threw a Hail Mary. Jess hated it. Like a lot. But Jesse and I always liked it. I think Jesse tweaked the bass line, and then Jess had this lightbulb moment and said it reminded her of a Eurodance song. Like the theme at the end of the finale or something. I don’t really know what she was hearing, but when that happens, she goes from 0 to 100, and then the song gets written in like an hour.
When writing songs like "SMALL TALK" or "RODEO," is there ever a moment where you think, "This could be perfect for another artist," or was it 100% ill peach from the beginning?
Pat: It was very intentionally ill peach from the beginning. We’ve never made a record with a concept already in mind before writing the songs like this. We had the foundation of the house built, and then it was just figuring out what each room looked like. RODEO might’ve been the closest to an outside song. We started it with David Marinelli, and it was sitting around for a couple years before we ever had the idea for EAVESDROPPING as an album.
What's one lyric on EAVESDROPPING that took the longest to get right?
Jess: Rodeo took a long time to write. It was a demo where I had mumbled a melody and some incoherent words. But it had such a vibe that I wrote and rewrote that song over and over to try to get it right.
You called "GUM" the moment ill peach finally sounded like itself. Listening to this new album, what do you hear now that wasn't possible on the first record?
Jess: There is more of a cohesiveness to this album. We pushed really hard to contain it more. It still takes you on a journey, but in my opinion, it feels like we are figuring it all out on this album. It felt very easy once we got the formula down.
You describe the band as thriving on creative disagreement. What's an argument that made one of these songs dramatically better?
Pat: Hmm. Well, how do I say this? Jess doesn’t get very excited about music very often, so when she does, it really is genuine and powerful. But sometimes it does take some convincing. We fought to get ADIDAS on the album for months. I would die on that hill. She just didn’t hear it, but once we had this story throughline, it connected with her. I think it was the part about being so burnt out you wanna wake up and sleep.
"RODEO" compares life to trying to stay on a bull. Have you become better at letting go of control, or do you still fight it every day?
Jess: I’d like to say I learn from my own writing, but life will always feel like a bunch of up and downhill moments. I will say that since becoming a mom, I’ve been more present than ever because I’m really not afforded the time to dwell.
In a world that can sometimes feel increasingly artificial, what feels most real to you these days?
Jess: Being able to meet IRL feels like the most throwback genuine thing. And it’s odd to call it throwback, but truly people live on the internet these days, and it’s just becoming increasingly more and more frustrating to navigate human connection. You don’t know if you’re talking to a real person or AI or some bot. IRL and nature are the realest of the real.
Jess, you mention returning to classical and jazz, while Pat is always chasing what's new. What artist has each of you been unsuccessfully trying to get the other two obsessed with?
Jess: Ha, well, because I’m the outlier in musical taste here, I am not really ever trying to convince anyone to be obsessed with someone I’ve heard. My reasoning behind leaning into those spaces more is sometimes I just feel too inundated with information and noise that I need to take it back to something where it gives my brain a rest. Pat has definitely tried to get me into Mk.gee and Geese; neither have really done it for me sonically.
Outside of music, what's inspired you creatively lately—a film, book, photographer, movement, or something completely unexpected?
Pat: Surfing and basketball. Two things that are a part of the weekly routine for both Jesse and me. They have nothing to do with music or creativity, but I think they help bring balance. Gets me completely out of my head. I also think it’s important to stay bored. Too much time on the internet strips away your imagination. Too many other voices telling you how to think and feel, so getting away from that gets you back to your true self and helps you decide what you like and dislike. So much of creativity for me, at least, is being able to identify what I like and deciding on it right away.
Jess: Travel. We just got back from Italy. It felt good to connect to my roots, but also to be somewhere with so much history. We are in a really tough time here in the US—politically, socially, artistically, you name it; it just feels like everything is being hit. It felt nice to be somewhere where people look at life differently. Less about work and productivity, more about living. So much emphasis on preservation of culture and art. So that felt nice for a change.
Follow ill peach on Instagram at @illpeach__
Photos by Lucy Sandler
