Periphery has released a two-song single, Acoustic Singles, featuring stripped down versions of “Scarlet” (from Periphery II) and “It’s Only Smiles” (from Periphery IV: Hail Stan).

The single, which arrives with a performance video for “It’s Only Smiles” also feature a guest performance from Mike Dawes.

“We had Mike Dawes out with us on tour last fall and we decided to have an acoustic break in our set where Mike would come out and perform these two songs with me,” explains vocalist Spencer Sotelo. “The crowd response was electric every night! We figured we’d try and capture that magic in the studio and recreate the whole vibe. The songs actually ended up taking on a whole new feel once they were recorded, and ended up sounding so fresh and unique that we’ve even talked about possibly doing more in the future. I hope everyone enjoys them as much as we do.”

Dawes is regarded as one of the world’s most creative modern acoustic guitarists, and has been named “Best Acoustic Guitarist in the World” multiple times by Total Guitar and MusicRadar’s reader polls. His next solo record and U.S. solo tour is scheduled for this summer.

“I’ve been a fan of the guys in Periphery as musicians and humans for well over a decade so recording these was extra special,” adds Dawes. “Back in 2016, I realized a solo cover of ‘Scarlet’ as a way to showcase the melodic side of heavy music to my, at the time, pretty anti-metal fanbase so it’s cool to have rearranged it along with ‘It’s Only Smiles’ to introduce the modern acoustic playing to Periphery’s fans. The November tour opening up for the guys was such a blast, and Spencer and I locked into a kind of synergy you can only really get through gigging. Too bad there wasn’t time to track our neurotically profound Backstreet Boys’ covers. Maybe someday.”

Acoustic Singles is also available as a limited edition (500 copies) 7” single on white and gold vinyl available exclusively at the Periphery webshop.

Periphery return to the road next month for The Wildfire Tour ’24, an eight-date trek in support of their recently released album Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre

The Wildfire Tour ‘24 tour dates:

May
8 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
10 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
11 - Tampa, FL - Jannus Live
13 - Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works
14 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
16 - Toronto, ON - The Danforth Music Hall
17 - Montreal, QC - MTelus
18 - New York, NY - Palladium Times Square

(Photo - Ekaterina Gorbacheva)