The collaborative synergy of The Peel suggests a quiet revolution in how we perceive the boundaries of traditional string music. On their third release, “In the Ferns,” the trio, comprised of Adam Fuller on banjo, Lucy Schwallie on fiddle, and David Colagiovanni on guitar, cultivates a sonic garden where old-time melodies and classical minimalism flourish in a unified, porous environment. Recorded by Brian Koscho during a rainy December day at Bear Wallow Hollow, the album breathes with the humid, enclosed atmosphere of its namesake, offering a collection of pieces that feel as ancient as the soil and as fresh as a new sprout.
The record opens with “Hemlock,” a piece that immediately establishes the group’s preference for cadenced, euphonic layers. The interplay between Fuller’s rhythmic banjo and Schwallie’s fluid fiddle work creates a sense of organic growth, avoiding the rigid structures of standard folk in favor of a more liberated, breathing pace. This leads into the whimsical “Sunset Circus,” where Colagiovanni’s guitar provides a warm, harmonic floor. The trio moves with a shared intuition that allows the music to shift from soft sighs to spirited murmurs without ever losing its centered purpose.
In “Adam Disturbed a Bird” and the titular “In the Ferns,” the ensemble explores the delicate friction between the human and the natural. There is a narrative quality to these instrumentals, suggesting a series of “earthy invocations” that require no lyrics to convey their depth. The production by Koscho captures the specific acoustics of the hollow, allowing the resonance of the wood and the vibration of the strings to occupy the foreground. This sense of place is further deepened in “Woods” and “Radio Signal,” where the group flirts with avant-garde experimentation, allowing moments of arrhythmia to suggest the unpredictable interference of the wild.
The back half of the record, including “Creekside” and “Weird Times,” functions like a shifting surface dappled with shadow and sunlight. The musicians demonstrate a profound dynamic restraint, knowing exactly when to lean into a melodic ache and when to allow the rhythm to play. The album reaches its most immersive point with “Na Coillte,” which incorporates field recordings captured by Koscho. These environmental textures wrap around the instruments, blurring the line between the studio and the forest.
Mixed and mastered by Colagiovanni, ‘In the Ferns’ is a work of surprise elegance. The Peel has succeeded in creating a creekside peace of sound, a place where the listener can rest their mind within a complex, shifting landscape. By synthesizing the precision of chamber music with the raw honesty of American primitive guitar and drone, the trio has produced an essential document of contemporary Appalachian artistry. It is a record that honors the historical while fearlessly reaching into the hidden shades of the world around us.
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