New England’s own dance-punk heroes Perennial have been favorites at Allston Pudding, well, perennially, making our best-of lists multiple times over the past few years. The band’s mix of bouncy rhythms and high-energy guitar blasts make for a pleasant and whirlwind listen, which is not to mention their chaotic live shows. They’re loud, they’re fast, and they couldn’t be happier. The band’s most recent album, 2024’s Art History, saw their star level rise, bringing them new listeners and live performances across the world.
Now, in 2025, the band is turning ten, and they wanted to dig into their local DIY roots and celebrate with Allston Pudding. The band is issuing “A” is For Abstract: The Complete Art History, out today, with unreleased songs from the Art History sessions, the full Lemon On Plastic EP, remixes, and a great new single “Baby, Are You Abstract?” We chatted with the band over email (because it’s spring and everyone’s busy!) about the expanded album and about ten years of Perennial.
Allston Pudding: We’ve got a deluxe edition of Art History looming, walk us through the process of making the album and compiling this new edition.
Perennial: For Art History we did a lot of pre-production, more or less recording full demos complete with overdubs for every song on the album, so that when it came time to record the album proper with Chris Teti we’d already know exactly how to get the bones of each song committed to tape as efficiently as possible. The idea was to free up as much time as possible for experimenting in the studio; lots of impressionistic layers and playing with what sounds/instruments/ideas could work. So it was this neat collage project of adding and subtracting, seeing (for instance) where a mellotron might sound cool [or] where a guitar would usually go, or what would happen if we replaced live drums with a drum machine, etc… Art History was all about using the whole box of crayons sonically.
AP: Perennial uses lyrical references to other forms of media like horror movies and architecture, can you explain how other types of art influence the band, especially in regards to the boldly-named album Art History?
Perennial: We approach Perennial as a full-time pursuit. When we’re watching an interesting film or going for a walk or reading a book, we’re still on the clock as a member of Perennial, and anything that might get glued into our imagination or memory might become an ingredient somewhere as we’re making a Perennial record. There are all sorts of references to books and movies and art movements in our lyrics for instance — it’s just material that jumped out to us, and we’re always very eager to see how we can add in the stuff that really captivates us across any given medium.
AP: Art History was a breakthrough for the band, what has it been like to see your platform grow in the last two or so years?
Perennial: It has been a dream come true! To have folks in Washington DC or Seattle, Washington or London, England singing along to your songs. Just unbelievable. I also hope our example — just keep doing it, keep working on it, keep honing your craft and believing in yourself — has been a positive and helpful one for folks.
AP: Going off that, you’ve been touring all over – California, SXSW, UK – what’s it been like to be taken to new places?
Perennial: I’ve loved every minute of it. We were in Liverpool this past December and I was standing by the River Mersey thinking about how 65 years ago, Paul McCartney and John Lennon and George Harrison were standing along this same river, looking out and dreaming, and I sincerely got choked up at the thought of it. The idea that our very specific type of noise has brought us to all these places and allowed us to meet all the new friends we’ve made these past couple years, friends we love with all our hearts; it’s magic.
AP: Incredible story about Liverpool! Perennial has always had a love for mod/garage rock like early Beatles, including your recent Kinks cover (“All Day And All Of The Night”). Since I last interviewed Perennial, we’ve gotten reunions from The Hives and Be Your Own Pet. What do you think it is about the general garage rock/punk/dance-punk scene that keeps it so popular?
Perennial: That’s a really interesting question. I think there’s just something infectious about loud guitars that you can dance to! I also think the last few years of indie rock have seen a trend of pulling from either grunge or shoegaze, both of which are decidedly hard to dance to and can be a bit dour, so garage rock/dance punk/etc… is a nice bit of counterprogramming.
AP: Going off that idea of counterprogramming, what are some other differing bands or genres that were an influence on Art History that might not be as readily apparent?
Perennial: 60s soul, trip-hop, late 80s/early 90s electronic music (Madchester for instance), two-tone ska, dub, left-field headphone pop stuff like Broadcast and Stereolab. Honestly, anything we really enjoy will find its way into the recipe in one way or another.
AP: We obviously love the local scene here at AP. As a band that’s eclipsing a decade, what are your thoughts on the current Boston scene? And how can people stay supportive of it amidst multifaceted efforts to quell artistry?
Perennial: There are definitely challenges that I think a lot of cities face: it’s hard to keep venues open, DIY spaces are so difficult to keep afloat in towns like Boston with such steep rent. It seems like often-times it’s either bars or giant Live Nation-style venues. That said, Greater Boston is also obviously an enormously creative, thoughtful, and resourceful community and there are always folks finding a way to make it work and finding a way to give artists a place to make noise. In terms of supporting the art you love: buy records, buy shirts, tell your friends, be as loud as you can as often as you can about the artists that you love.
AP: What are 5-10 songs you’d pick to introduce Perennial to a new listener?
Perennial: In no particular order:
“Art History”
“Action Painting”
“Up-tight”
“Perennial ’65″
“Perennial In A Haunted House”
“C Is For Cubism”
AP: What’s been the best gig or most fun moment as a band so far?
Perennial: Two come to mind: London, at Dash The Henge Records: a small record store in South London where we played an afternoon in-store on the last day of tour. The room was absolutely packed for our set and a whole bunch of the folks there had seen us the previous week at our first London show and made a point of checking us out again. I’m not sure there’s anything more affirming and inspiring than that.
Washington, DC at Black Cat: we’re cheating a bit here but both shows we played at Black Cat were unbelievable. The first was with Ekko Astral and Bad Moves; the second was with Dim Wizard and Miri Tyler. So obviously in both cases we’re sharing the bill with absolutely incredible bands. But the audiences at both shows were so kind and so enthusiastic and energetic. We encourage folks to dance during each and every set. At our DC shows they dance. It’s a joy. And as smitten as we are with so many DC bands (Nation of Ulysses, The Make-Up, Fugazi, Q and Not U, Black Eyes, etc) it’s a dream to be playing these shows and having folks dig the Perennial Sound the way they do.
AP: And finally, what’s the absolute dream gig for Perennial? (venue, bands, etc).
Perennial: I always joke about how I want to get famous enough to play the House of Blues in Disney World so we can ride Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion all day before the show, but my honest answer would be us and Stereolab at Roadrunner.
“A” is For Abstract: The Complete Art History is available for streaming and purchasing below. Keep your eyes open for any upcoming Perennial shows in your area and remember, Perennial means always.