When the Beach Fossils began as a solo project by one Dustin Payseur, no one would have been wrong for not expecting too much.
Sure, he received all the kind of buzz that being a solo artists usually warrants. He even got a fair amount of underground attention for managing to sound like a full band by playing all the instruments on the album. But it sounded like the kind of cute project that was doomed to fizzle out once all the creative ideas were mined.
Beach Fossils’s debut album brought together an enticing mix of fuzzy indie pop, guitar-driven beach melodies and dreamy vocals. It wasn’t trying for anything much deeper than that. Which is why their follow up in “Clash The Truth,” comes as such a pleasant surprise. Payseur displays a hidden depth that wasn’t present on his first album, and comes roaring back with a proper band and an evolved sound lifted from time.
Clash The Truth nixes the beachy melodies that dominated Beach Fossils’ debut to delve into Payseure’s post-punk influences. But it goes much further than that. This album invokes the best of classic new wave, shoegaze and even early garage punk. Through the mis-mash of influences Beach Fossils never forsake their talent for crafting tight, infectious hooks. A wall of swirling guitars and an uplifting energy that never lets up dominates track after track and the dance-fueled, chaotic drumming paired with a solid bass ties the whole thing together.
There isn’t a throw-away song to be found here, but some practically ear-grabbing moments include the sonic guitar attack on “Carless” and the slowed down dream groove of “Sleep Apnea”.
