Beach Slang
The Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City
Bridge Nine Records
There’s always place in my heart and in my CD player for anthemic rock and roll with a snotty vocal, hot guitar chords, and lyrics I can sort of hear, but still need to look up. This group out of Philly pulls no punches, and while it’s a little too fuzzed-out to sound Beach Boys, its distinctly post power punk and full of grabbing hooks.
The project’s subtext takes us back to the adolescent joy of hard rock, cigarettes, and the possibly of getting a girl friend. Heck, “Kicking over Bottles” explicitly calls out for a Marlboro. You can hear the vocals here, it’s a nice mix that avoids the wall-of-noise metal methodology and aims for a hard-edged power pop. Yes, there’s a slow song, “Bar No One,” and it’s near the end, bringing you down from the head-banging frenzy to a self-refractive love-song prototype.
It’s a trip to the Jersey shore back in the old days, but with easier parking.
