“Too young to die, too late to die young”
This is Beach Slang.
They do The Replacements better than The Replacements did Replacements.
I’ll let that sink in for a bit because it’s a bold statement.
Formed in Philadelphia, PA in 2013, the amount of quality work this band has produced in such little time is noteworthy.
It’s suspected The Replacements were on tour in the 80’s and Paul Westerberg had a memorable night with a fan in Philly. Nine months later, James Alex was born… destined to take up the mantle of creating indie pop nuggets of garage rock that shine with so much brightness and emotion, the heart feels as much as the ears listen.
(I know this doesn’t match up with the timeline of the 40 year old Alex… but this is what makes the most sense).
There are only a couple of EPs that came out in 2014, and the one full length, “The Things We Do To Find People Like Us” (Polyvinyl) to satiate the bands quickly growing fan base.
The album made numerous, ‘Best of 2015’ press lists and Beach Slang deserves every mention.
“Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas” showcases the simplistic indie rock flows that hold the structure of the song together with so much comradery, it let’s Alex’s personality carry the number in his vocals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7nXvOTqyCY
James Alex crafts invitations to the party, even if you’re not one of the cool kids, creating songs that remind you of that one night when you were a teenager and everything was perfect… even if you didn’t realize it at the time.
If you are a true ‘mats fan… you might hear some “All Shook Down” era influences in this stripped down number, “Too Late To Die Young”…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgKVUjwwH7E
And while that number is a bit subdued, don’t get the impression Beach Slang wallow too long in the shoegazer tempos… the band is high energy indie pop rocks in coke…
“It’s Friday Night and I’m in the basement… screaming out my lungs with my best friends… I hope when I die… I feel this alive…”
Perhaps it’s my mid-west bred sensibilities… but lyrics like those strike right to the heart.
I hate it when music makes me feel… which is ironic, because that’s exactly why I am so passionate for music.
James Alex understands this…
