Ever since they first burst onto the scene with the incendiary ‘Who Would Ever Want Anything So Broken?’ EP in 2014, Philly act Beach Slang have been setting alight stages and stereos alike with their life affirming marriage of romantic lyrics and indie punk guitars. Hot on the heels of their critically acclaimed 2015 debut, The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us, comes their second album – and their decision to strike while the iron is hot has yielded their finest record yet.
Featuring a (slightly) softer sound compared to their first LP, those who were smitten with the style of the ‘Cheap Thrills On A Dead End Street’ EP will be besotted with this stunning ten track opus. Singer James Alex’s imitable croon is even more exaggerated (and enjoyable) this time around (‘Future Mixtape For The Art Kids’) and the likes of the blistering ‘Atom Bomb’, the euphoric ‘Hot Tramps’ and the jaw-dropping, Smiths-ish swoon of ‘The Perfect High’ make this the best rock record of the year. It also heralds Beach Slang as worthy successors to The Replacements, The Gaslight Anthem et al.
_Sep 23 // Edwin McFee
Billy Bragg & Joe Henry
Shine A Light: Field Recordings From The Great American Railroad
cooking vinyl
‘The Midnight Special’