WEALTH
& HELLNESS
VOL.1
What is it? 5-track EP
Release date: JULY 18th 2025
Band: Pleeay
Genre: New Wave/Gutter Pop
FFO: Special Interest, Glass Spells, Delilah Bon, Amyl and the Sniffers, Deadletter, Guerilla Toss
Upcoming Events:
August 29th @ Bottom of the Hill, SF with Homobiles + BoySwitch
August 31st @ 33rd Hill, LA
September 20th @ Emeryville Pride
Halloween 10/31 @ Killowatt, SF
Story
Wealth & Hellness Vol. 1 teems with playful polarity and paradox. Penned through an impossible attempt to tame the wild beasts of anger and sadness. PLEEAY discovered that Instead of being tamed, these beasts revealed their transformative nature - expanding like flames into an indestructible source of energy.
Castle wrote the lyrics for WEALTH & HELLNESS VOL. 1 to cope with 3 things:
the murder of their best friend of 17 years,
global humanitarian crises, and
being a queer autistic person in 2025 <LOL>.
This energy was lovingly harnessed with the immutable bravery of Pete and Huli. The deep collaboration only added fuel to the flames, allowing the fire of this EP to reach out and warm anyone in the depths of their sadness or anger. Volumes 2 and 3 are currently in production.
Blending the defiant energy of punk rock with the chaotic shimmer of new wave and some moody post-punk textures, PLEEAY’s WEALTH & HELLNESS VOL. 1 is a raw and restless exploration of grief, loss, magic, and the confusion that surrounds transformation. Channeling the fierce theatricality of artists like Delilah Bon and Special Interest, the EP carves space for compassion in the midst of chaos, holding firm to personal boundaries and resistance in a world that demands constant surrender. It’s a sound both tender and volatile—wired with synths, pulsing with urgency, and unapologetically alive.
nuts and Bolts
Tracklist:
NO
Much-needed temper tantrum about consent in this land of The Greed and home of The Crazed.
“When they just let you suffer, when they always compare, no”
BABIES IN THE LOST & FOUND
Unrelenting indictment of privilege and oppression.
“Waiting for an enemy so they can live purposely, but righteousness won’t feed the mouths of babies in the lost and found!”
GRIEF
An attempt to express the pattern-less process of metabolizing profound loss.
“If I could ask for just one thing, that one thing is this: that I could hear you laugh again and live inside it.”
DAZZLING CONFUSION
A deep yet playful gaze into the paradoxes of human life.
“Spinning around in tiny circles, only the dying know their purpose.”
QUIET
Both a lament and a celebration, both quiet and loud.
“There’s nothing I can do to forget the story from which I have grown.”
Credits:
VOX/Lyrics: Castle Laws
Synths/Drums: Huli Curry
Bass: Pete Warren
Recording Studio: Women’s Audio Mission, SF
Engineer + Mixing: Arielle Flinkman
Creative Consultant: Han Russell Laws
Consulting Producer: Christina Cerza (HotGothGF)
Mastering: Jessica Thompson
Band Bio
PLEEAY is a trio of Bay Area sinners, 2 queers and one token straight. These fools double-dare the world to resist conformity, choose consciousness over convenience, and live loudly with compassion.
The first thing you need to know about Pete is that he’s a man about town. Castle found him wandering the streets of San Francisco wearing a Telepathic Children shirt. A conversation ensued about the importance of zines and the rest is herstory. You can purchase the original zine that Pete made based on that initial conversation on PLEEAY’S Bandcamp.
Castle and Huli met in college while Castle was studying dance and Huli, music. Their friendship morphed into composer + choreographer for a while before Castle strapped Huli into a Pleeay-shaped vehicle and drove directly into the sun. As only the closest friends can, Castle and Huli often communicate using an intricate language of fart sounds.
PLEEAY’s live performances bear the outrageous scent of over-the-top classical ballet antics. This is thanks to Castle’s intense physicality and collaboration with local dance + drag artists. Pleeay offers free Narcan at all live shows.
Experience Wealth & hellness Vol. 1
WEALTH & HELLNESS VOL.1
Quotes from the band
“These songs express my deepest sadness and wildest anger while attempting to point toward a better future. I’m grateful for every second of patience, joy, and creativity that Pete and Huli have shared through the process of birthing this bittersweet project. The only way out is through the fire together.”
— Castle, VOX/LYRICS
“I wanted to try out some complicated song structures to match the complicated themes of Castle’s lyrics. Some things build to an explosive conclusion, some take you on a dizzying journey back, and some leave you a little unrequited. This EP really shows our growth as songwriters, and where we’re heading musically.”
— Huli, drums/synths
"With this EP we wanted to blend the excitement and resistance of punk rock with the moodier textures of post-punk and the clear synth-driven pop feel of new wave."
— Pete, bass guitar
Extra Backstory
Working with co-producer and recording engineer Arielle Finkman at Women’s Audio Mission (WAM), the band found a deep creative chemistry and a supportive environment to push their sound forward. The process was scrappy, joyful, and intentional—marking a turning point in the band's evolution as a collaborative unit.
Like all deeply collaborative processes, Wealth & Hellness Vol.1 began in a basement on the beach. Pete <bass> had just joined the band with the humble offering of his basement as a practice space. As the trio settled into this new configuration with shows throughout California, Wealth & Hellness Vol. 1 relentlessly unfolded in the background. The band moved on from the basement on the beach and landed at Secret Studios in San Francisco. There, Wealth & Hellness Vol.1 became refined into the form that plays before you - forever entangled with the story of PLEEAY’s forming.
THANKS, see you in hell.
Pre-Flame Photos by: Sloane Kanter