Beach Slang

I caught wind of Beach Slang late last year when rabbit holing on bandcamp, and I filed them away in my brain with a note to follow up later. In the spring, I did, and I got deep, deep, deep into their two eps that were available at the time. Now that the album has arrived, they're a full-blown obsession.

Beach Slang writes one kind of song. You're either into it or you're not. I guess it depends not only on how much you like Paul Westerberg and all the hallmarks of a Paul Westerberg song, but how much you tolerate the way Goo Goo Dolls took the Paul Westerberg songwriting blueprint and made a career out of it. Beach Slang falls somewhere in the middle of all this. They're a lot more scuzzy and raw than the GGD are on any of their post-Metal Blade albums, but they DON'T. EVER. DEVIATE. from the formula. Those ringing open chords and the way the vocal melodies play off of them, the cadence with which they're sung, it's all a very SINGULAR approach. Between 2 eps and 1 lp, they're recorded basically one song 18 different ways. But I LOVE IT. What's wrong with me?!

Anyway, yeah. Beach Slang. They are good.

Totally agree, and I'm looking forward to seeing them next weekend. I only have the LP -- my friend has been buggin' me to get the EPs.

Don't forget the shoegaze worship, particularly Ride and Swervedriver.

my friend has been buggin' me to get the EPs

You should at least get the second one, because "All Fuzzed Out" is the best song they have.

Don't forget the shoegaze worship, particularly Ride and Swervedriver.

Can't say I hear that in there at all, but if people do then that's cool.

they covered ride on a cassette this year.

anyway it's great to see this band liberated from the rolling emo thread. they're pretty special / a long-awaited rehabilitation of early goo goo dolls

Got the album today and really like it. Definitely hearing little shoegaze touches. Pretty standard for me to have a late-year "punk" record I get really excited about...then barely listen to months later. This may be 2015's.

The more I listen to this, the more I like it.

Saw these guys Saturday and they were awesome. 'Mats and Jawbreaker covers at end of set were fun and fitting.

Can't say I hear that in there at all, but if people do then that's cool.

Give a close relisten to the second song on the album. TOTAL Ride moves happening, not a direct carbon copy but they know what they're doing. And as noted, they covered them separately already.

Strong Buffalo Tom vibes on "Hard Luck Kid". Fine by me.

I love this! It's not all that surprising since I really liked Weston years and years ago and if I'm not mistaken that was the lead singer's old band.

Have a ticket to the show here later this week.

I never really listened to Weston that much, but maybe I should?

Got Beat Up is just a really solid pop punk album.

btw I fell asleep and missed the show (lol winter/old/getting up at 5 sucks) but heard from a friend that it was fantastic and they did like 4 replacement songs and the whole place was singing along

Heh let's hear it for being old!

Man, this album is a joy.

A negative review from the appropriately named Adam Downer:

http://cokemachineglow.com/records/beachslang-thethingswedo-2015/

lol @ cokemachineglow for even still existing.

Assuming it stays alive just to accommodate the few readers who are genuinely disgusted that P4k would review a Bieber record.

This review sounds kind of right to be honest. I still love the record though, so you know, whatever, I guess.

that review pretty much encapsulates my thoughts when I heard this record. i was thinking you could make a drinking game with triggers being the words "feel" "alive" and "drunk" and boy would you be drunk!

basically there are records that make you feel alive and the ones that just blather about it.

yeah, it's a bit one-note, with songs sounding similar to each other, but damn does this song hit me hard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3VGgWYtM70

Damn, there's a new album coming in September!

It's so weird that a band releasing albums in consecutive calendar years seems like a weird thing when it used to be standard (if not more than one per year).

New video for first, "Bastards of Young"-soundalike single "Punks in a Disco Bar"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O1s1JbBKjE

https://soundcloud.com/beachslang/atom-bomb-1

The first Beach Slang song I've heard that doesn't immediately strike me as Replacements/Goo Goo Dolls mimicry (I say that with respect, because I love Beach Slang).

Loving "Spin the Dial" from the new album.

Listening to it now. Is this band going down the Archers of Loaf career path, where the singer's voice gets more shredded-to-hell on each album?

Good jams, tho!

wow i hate this

they sound exactly like something you'd find in the sam goody cutout bin in 1999

I would have been perfectly thrilled to find this record in a cutout bin in 1999.

making this record once was cute and kind of ok, i really don't know about making this record twice.

didn't this band breakup on stage over the summer? don't dig their music but one of the members came into our store and bought a bunch of gear a couple weeks ago, nice guy

https://www.facebook.com/beachslang/photos/a.143086749223215.1073741828.143073045891252/526350394230180/?type=3

"For us, Beach Slang has always been and will always be a safe place for everyone. It was built to be welcoming. It was built to be soft. If we are going to continue to exist, we have to exist in this way.

There have been allegations involving sexual assault and our guitarist, Ruben. Although this occurred four years ago and prior to him joining Beach Slang, we cannot in good conscience continue with him. We believe survivors and we want to believe Ruben, but until we learn more information, we don't feel it's appropriate for him to be a part of Beach Slang.

We strongly support survivors and organizations such as www.rainn.org and we encourage you to use their resources if you need help. We will be making a donation to RAINN at the conclusion of this tour to do our part in helping to ensure these resources are there for those who need it.

Given the timing of this, our only option is to play as Quiet Slang (James solo acoustic). I mean, giving up never seems to fix things. Maybe today, we can start putting some stuff back together. The Bleached Slang tour starts tonight in Washington, DC. Maybe that's a good place to start.

Keep each other safe,
Beach Slang"

New covers EP announced:

"Bored Teenagers" - The Adverts
"Wembley" - The Candyskins
"Nothing Can Change You" - Tommy Keene
"Sometimes Always" - The Jesus & Mary Chain
"Roadrunner" - The Modern Lovers

Candyskins is a pretty deep dig. Good job, BS guy!

Yeah that was definitely a random surprise.

Following Tommy Keene's death late last year, their cover of Nothing Can Change You has come to be even more meaningful to me than it was already.

I love this band, but the new album is basically hair metal.

yeah it ain't great

So, uh, yeah. With everything else going on in the world right now, hadn't caught up on the James Alex stuff until today. Turns out he's an (alleged) abusive asshole too.

Everything about this sucks.

That said--and perhaps I should have just said this instead--I really hope that both Charlie Lowe and James Alex get the help they need.

i know a few people who have spent time around james alex, and i bet this is all very true

it sucks that he was hospitalized but the statement his family put out... also sucks

yeah just very bad all around