Exclusive video premiere of ‘Too Much’ by a NYC immigrant punk Boris Pelekh, taken from his debut solo EP, ‘I See It Now’, out June 10.

‘I See It Now’ is a collection of gentle indie-folk meditations with psychedelic undertones, soul-baring vocals and intimate incantations of love restored.

A seasoned veteran of the New York music scene and ace guitarist for Gogol Bordello, Pelekh has toured around the world, sharing stages with iconic artists spanning from Aretha Franklin to Philip Glass to Wu-Tang Clan, a clear breadth of connections indicative of his life’s work.

Pelekh’s new EP sounds much more at peace and introspective than the over-the-top art-rock composition that he’s become known for with his band Hey Guy. His flexible indie-folk stylings capture a new quiet in his life, even as he sifts through the difficult tropes of heartbreak, isolated ruins, and eventually, ego death.

‘I See It Now’ centers around Pelekh’s stylish fingerpicking on acoustic guitar and equal parts tender and surreal vocals. Jason Binnick – multi-instrumentalist and the EP’s co-producer – adds extra warmth and texture with steel guitar, strings and synths, captured through intimate production. These new songs reflect the beauty and pain experienced on the journey of profound transformation. Just before birthing the EP, Pelekh had found himself locked down amidst a global pandemic while going through a breakup with a long-term partner.

“I was feeling very depressed and sort of deranged at the time”, says Pelekh. “I needed to change my setting and begin the next phase of my life. I somehow landed in Guatemala, after a random catchup with an old friend who had recently visited there. I was drawn there instantly despite having very little info on the destination”.

In a small village on lake Atitlan he deepened his exploration into his own spirituality and embarked on a new freedom in his artistic expression. He sat in ceremony with Ayahuasca for the first time, and began meditating and practicing yoga.

“I formed an unexpected bond with a young lady and the more I explored this serendipitous connection the more I felt that this was the energy that had pulled me here in the first place” says Pelekh”. And this was the inspiration for the title track, ‘I See It Now'”.

That realization, that sense of what he deems “universal alignment”, gives the EP its namesake, and the entire album rides upon the inherent value of this epiphany.

The EP, ‘I See It Now’, carries a loose storyline of the way we try to make sense of things, particularly in the aftermath of a lost love. Pelekh has spent his entire adult life as a touring musician and has seen the world in many of its rotations. Drawing on his travels, the idea of kismet, and his philosophy on dealing with loss and heartache, ‘I See It Now’ sees Pelekh shedding skin and dancing around the deadweight.

“This EP reacts with the serendipity of each situation”, says Pelekh, “and the decisions I made in that moment”.

On ‘Too Much’, the EP’s centerpiece, Pelekh finds closure after a failed relationship, acknowledging his own self-worth and recognizing that his lifestyle and passion are simply “extra” in the eyes of some. The under-the-surface intensity of Pelekh’s emotional vocal delivery offers a kinship to everyone who’s felt like they’re too much to handle at times. The accompanying visual for ‘Too Much’ provides a beacon of hope, weaving through all the melancholy as it features his new partner, who provides choreographed insight into complex emotions at hand.

‘Yours Is a Face From a Dream’ finds Pelekh a hapless romantic, ambling from dream state to reality, a fitting precursor to the EP’s weightier matter, where the crooner becomes vexed by insecurities brought on by the lack of more meaningful relationships.

Meanwhile, ‘Leaving’ reaches its calm, accepting the fate of a relationship that has come to an end whilst moving towards the promise of the unknown and a greater love before celebration ensues with ‘Pokóy’.

At last, the EP-clincher, ‘Pokóy’, which in Russian means “calm”, is Pelekh’s meditation mantra. This song is a story of a journey through an Ayahuasca ceremony in which the protagonist struggles for their inner balance whilst facing the poly-conscious voyage with psychedelic plant medicine.

Pelekh’s comfort with fearlessly sharing his emotions understates the experiential plight involved in the making of ‘I See It Now’. “I wanted to lay it all out”, says Pelekh. “All my guts out on the table. I’ve always felt more comfortable on stage channeling the riptides of my heartbeat than navigating the common day-to-day minutiae”.

For 10 years, we’ve been blessed with Pelekh’s high-wire act Hey Guy, and his explosive performance in Gogol Bordello. Now, he unveils much, much more of himself, and it’s about damn time. “The fibres of this music and poetry come from a very painful and raw place. But, ironically by the end of the production of this EP I was the happiest and the most in love”.

Headline photo: Alison Clarke

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