"Given the current state of affairs // with this backward populace // it’s a tough day to be a girl..."
The double fisted indie rock loving embrace of "Annie, you're a lightning bolt" by Columbus, Ohio songwriter / rocker Billy Peake and featuring artist Extra Special on backing vox, feels at once intimately drawn for his daughter but painted in big, big strokes as an anthem for all the battles our collective daughters have to confront. As times change shape, there are better times and worse times for those who some people marginalize and while my daughters are grown up, thinking about them in a world of wolves sometimes still twists my stomach into a knot. Here Peake's love letter to his daughter stands as a double message about strength and survivorship and against misogyny. Stylistically, I am loving the rattling fist in the air electric guitar rhythms, really love the dirty keys and shuffling drumming and while the sonics are apropos to any decade I couldn't help but think of the late 70's as maybe being the lightning seeds for this track, an amalgam of Springsteen and Manfred Mann. I could see this track as being a Killers song too, totally in their ball park. Billy Peake's vocal countenance, vulnerable with measures of smooth and sandpaper are layered in just the right places by Extra Special (Amelia Bushell) and her voice is the icing on this cake especially given the themes that percolate beneath.
“Annie you’re a lightning bolt” is the first single from Billy Peake's debut solo album, "Manic Waves" that includes notable guest contributions from drummers Matt Johnson (Jeff Buckley, St. Vincent), Stephen Bidwell (Black Pumas), and longtime collaborator Jason Mowery (Denovo, Bicentennial Bear), as well as vocals from Extra Special (Belle Mare, Meena).
LINER NOTES (excerpted / bracketed):
[The record benefits from stellar production, mixed by Mike Montgomery (The Breeders, Protomartyr) and mastered by Sarah Register (David Bowie, Kurt Vile). It features powerhouse drummers Stephen Bidwell (Black Pumas) and Matt Johnson (Jeff Buckley), plus longtime collaborator Jason Mowery. Guest vocals from Extra Special (Belle Mare) soar on both "Annie, You're a Lightning Bolt" and the self-aware "dad wave pop gem" "Inadvertent Trip"—a song lamenting the perils of irresponsible gummy abuse.]
LYRICS:
Given the current state of affairs
with this backward populace
it’s a tough day to be a girl.
Honestly it’s always been the case,
scared boys pulling power plays.
But you got everything you need in spades,
good things are coming your way.
Annie, you’re a lightning bolt,
brilliant and powerful
and if you don’t, do believe it, believe it.
You’re razor sharp and your style’s unique,
you defy physics on our trampoline.
It’s the greatest show I’ve ever seen, little lightning bolt.
Your English accent is bloody exquisite.
You’re hilarious. Your timing is perfect.
But if you ever find yourself with doubt, hear your old man out.
Annie, you’re a lightning bolt,
brilliant and powerful
and if you don’t, do believe it, believe it.
Annie, you are a lightning bolt.
There’ll be days when your world is a monster
with bad intentions and no sign of stopping.
You’ll need to battle, kid, you can’t relent,
and don’t forget:
Annie, you’re a lightning bolt,
brilliant and powerful
and if you don’t, do believe it, believe it.
Given the current state of affairs
with this backward populace
it’s a tough day to be a girl.
Honestly it’s always been the case,
scared boys pulling power plays.
But you got everything you need in spades,
good things are coming your way.
Annie, you’re a lightning bolt,
brilliant and powerful
and if you don’t, do believe it, believe it.
You’re razor sharp and your style’s unique,
you defy physics on our trampoline.
It’s the greatest show I’ve ever seen, little lightning bolt.
Your English accent is bloody exquisite.
You’re hilarious. Your timing is perfect.
But if you ever find yourself with doubt, hear your old man out.
Annie, you’re a lightning bolt,
brilliant and powerful
and if you don’t, do believe it, believe it.
Annie, you are a lightning bolt.
There’ll be days when your world is a monster
with bad intentions and no sign of stopping.
You’ll need to battle, kid, you can’t relent,
and don’t forget:
Annie, you’re a lightning bolt,
brilliant and powerful
and if you don’t, do believe it, believe it.
LINER NOTES (about the artist):
[Peake takes music seriously, but not himself. "I'm not an artist, and my naivety gets me in so much trouble," he admits. "It's preposterous that anyone would care about me making a solo record—I've paused the release multiple times thinking, 'what's the goddamn point?!'"
Yet beneath the self-deprecation lies genuine confidence in the work. "But I really think I've captured something special here, and I'm gonna implode if I don't release it soon!"
Peake detests social media and says he'd rather forfeit than wrestle with algorithms. "I know I need to embrace it, but it makes me so anxious." He's much more comfortable making the songs he wants to hear.
"Manic Waves", out October 25th, is the sound of surfing the chaos instead of fighting it.]
-Robb Donker Curtius
https://www.instagram.com/billypeake04/
https://billypeake.com/
Billy Peake learns to ride the highs and lows on debut solo album, Manic Waves
For Billy Peake, music was never a closed chapter—it was just waiting for the right time to resurface. From 1999 to 2019, Peake was a constant creative presence in the Columbus music scene, first with regional touring juggernaut Miranda Sound, then with power pop stalwarts Bicentennial Bear.
After spending the last decade raising a family and building a creative career outside of music, the 49-year-old returns with Manic Waves—a solo album that welds fuzz-drenched indie rock with the neon shimmer of '80s New Wave he loved before, as he puts it, "whatever it is that spoils young men."
Musical Roots
Peake's musical education began in early-1980s Youngstown, Ohio, with radio hits and 8-track road trips in his cousin Rick's canary yellow '72 Pontiac LeMans. "If I close my eyes, I can see Rick's graduation tassel dangling from the rearview mirror and hear The Cars, Supertramp, Cheap Trick," Peake recalls. "That's when I fell in love with music and begged my parents for a guitar."
"The early 80s were great," he continues. "You could hear Huey Lewis, Blondie, Kool & The Gang, Van Halen, all in a row on the same station. I loved it all. I listened to pop radio without prejudice until 7th or 8th grade, when I fell into my butt rock phase. But I don't regret it—I still love me some Whitesnake."
College radio later opened his ears to bands like the Afghan Whigs, Shudder to Think, and Matthew Sweet, discoveries that sparked him to pick up the guitar he'd neglected throughout high school.
The Band Years
In 1998, after meeting Sean Sefcik, a fellow radio DJ who played bass, Miranda Sound was born. "I never really played covers," Peake explains. "I don't have the patience or discipline to learn other people's songs. Making up my own stuff was much more natural."
Miranda Sound took off quickly, sharing stages with Nada Surf, The Wrens, The Constantines, and The Posies, even earning a slot at Lollapalooza's 2003 Ohio stop. For nearly a decade, the band carved out a respected place in indie rock until life pulled its members in different directions. By 2008, Miranda Sound amicably disbanded, leading Peake to form Bicentennial Bear. Two critically appreciated albums later, that band also slowed to a halt in 2018, as day jobs and family life took precedence.
The Manic Waves of isolation
In 2019, what started as attic demos quietly grew into Manic Waves, accelerated by pandemic stillness. Writing without a band in mind for the first time, and contemplating the uncertainty and volatility of the moment, Peake started experimenting—crafting songs on bass, faking his way on keyboards, singing in new registers, and channeling bands like The Human League and Talking Heads through his own distorted lens.
The result feels both personal and defiant. Some tracks, like "Annie You're a Lightning Bolt"—written for his daughter—glow with tenderness while addressing the misogyny he knows she'll face. Others strike harder, confronting authoritarianism and evangelical hypocrisy. Yet even at its grumpiest, Manic Waves pulses with optimism and off-beat humor.
The Sound
The record benefits from stellar production, mixed by Mike Montgomery (The Breeders, Protomartyr) and mastered by Sarah Register (David Bowie, Kurt Vile). It features powerhouse drummers Stephen Bidwell (Black Pumas) and Matt Johnson (Jeff Buckley), plus longtime collaborator Jason Mowery. Guest vocals from Extra Special (Belle Mare) soar on both "Annie, You're a Lightning Bolt" and the self-aware "dad wave pop gem" "Inadvertent Trip"—a song lamenting the perils of irresponsible gummy abuse.
The sound hits a rare balance: intimate enough to feel handmade, polished enough to command attention.
Yet beneath the self-deprecation lies genuine confidence in the work. "But I really think I've captured something special here, and I'm gonna implode if I don't release it soon!"
Peake detests social media and says he'd rather forfeit than wrestle with algorithms. "I know I need to embrace it, but it makes me so anxious." He's much more comfortable making the songs he wants to hear.
"Manic Waves", out October 25th, is the sound of surfing the chaos instead of fighting it.]
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.instagram.com/billypeake04/
https://billypeake.com/
Billy Peake learns to ride the highs and lows on debut solo album, Manic Waves
For Billy Peake, music was never a closed chapter—it was just waiting for the right time to resurface. From 1999 to 2019, Peake was a constant creative presence in the Columbus music scene, first with regional touring juggernaut Miranda Sound, then with power pop stalwarts Bicentennial Bear.
After spending the last decade raising a family and building a creative career outside of music, the 49-year-old returns with Manic Waves—a solo album that welds fuzz-drenched indie rock with the neon shimmer of '80s New Wave he loved before, as he puts it, "whatever it is that spoils young men."
Musical Roots
Peake's musical education began in early-1980s Youngstown, Ohio, with radio hits and 8-track road trips in his cousin Rick's canary yellow '72 Pontiac LeMans. "If I close my eyes, I can see Rick's graduation tassel dangling from the rearview mirror and hear The Cars, Supertramp, Cheap Trick," Peake recalls. "That's when I fell in love with music and begged my parents for a guitar."
"The early 80s were great," he continues. "You could hear Huey Lewis, Blondie, Kool & The Gang, Van Halen, all in a row on the same station. I loved it all. I listened to pop radio without prejudice until 7th or 8th grade, when I fell into my butt rock phase. But I don't regret it—I still love me some Whitesnake."
College radio later opened his ears to bands like the Afghan Whigs, Shudder to Think, and Matthew Sweet, discoveries that sparked him to pick up the guitar he'd neglected throughout high school.
The Band Years
In 1998, after meeting Sean Sefcik, a fellow radio DJ who played bass, Miranda Sound was born. "I never really played covers," Peake explains. "I don't have the patience or discipline to learn other people's songs. Making up my own stuff was much more natural."
Miranda Sound took off quickly, sharing stages with Nada Surf, The Wrens, The Constantines, and The Posies, even earning a slot at Lollapalooza's 2003 Ohio stop. For nearly a decade, the band carved out a respected place in indie rock until life pulled its members in different directions. By 2008, Miranda Sound amicably disbanded, leading Peake to form Bicentennial Bear. Two critically appreciated albums later, that band also slowed to a halt in 2018, as day jobs and family life took precedence.
The Manic Waves of isolation
In 2019, what started as attic demos quietly grew into Manic Waves, accelerated by pandemic stillness. Writing without a band in mind for the first time, and contemplating the uncertainty and volatility of the moment, Peake started experimenting—crafting songs on bass, faking his way on keyboards, singing in new registers, and channeling bands like The Human League and Talking Heads through his own distorted lens.
The result feels both personal and defiant. Some tracks, like "Annie You're a Lightning Bolt"—written for his daughter—glow with tenderness while addressing the misogyny he knows she'll face. Others strike harder, confronting authoritarianism and evangelical hypocrisy. Yet even at its grumpiest, Manic Waves pulses with optimism and off-beat humor.
The Sound
The record benefits from stellar production, mixed by Mike Montgomery (The Breeders, Protomartyr) and mastered by Sarah Register (David Bowie, Kurt Vile). It features powerhouse drummers Stephen Bidwell (Black Pumas) and Matt Johnson (Jeff Buckley), plus longtime collaborator Jason Mowery. Guest vocals from Extra Special (Belle Mare) soar on both "Annie, You're a Lightning Bolt" and the self-aware "dad wave pop gem" "Inadvertent Trip"—a song lamenting the perils of irresponsible gummy abuse.
The sound hits a rare balance: intimate enough to feel handmade, polished enough to command attention.
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