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Biography
Although frontman Payseur and drummer Tommy Gardner were the only full-time members of the band with song writing credits on 2013’s ‘Clash the Truth’, the two are now joined by Jack Doyle Smith and Tommy Davidson, and are signed to Brooklyn indie label Captured Tracks. Past members have included DIIV’s Zachary Cole Smith and John Peña, who left to form Heavenly Beat.
Their 2010 self-titled debut album on Captured Tracks featured a somewhat modest attitude towards song writing – simple yet catchy lead guitars chime out over rhythmic bass lines, whilst Payseur’s echoing vocals float on alongside on gentle waves of reverb. This first full-length was followed by the release of the 2011 EP ‘What a Pleasure’, which saw the band draw comparisons to fellow lo-fi/indie purveyors Wild Nothing, whose frontman Jack Tatum appeared as a vocalist on the track ‘Out in the Way’.
By contrast, 2013’s ‘Clash the Truth’ was both more complex and more ambitious; the lo-fi approach they had previously favored was refined rather than replaced, but the addition of new elements to their sound such as the dream pop instrumental sections of single ‘Careless’ and the droning, atmospheric interlude ‘Modern Holiday’ led to an altogether more in-depth, unpredictable album. The circumstances surrounding its recording could have easily been disastrous for the band – ‘Clash the Truth’ was put together after the line-up that toured for the album ‘Beach Fossils’ had all but dissolved, and then Hurricane Sandy destroyed Civil Defense, the studio they had been working in. In spite of these setbacks, ‘Clash the Truth’ received positive reviews and reached number 40 on the Independent Record Chart.
Beach Fossils are known for their animated, passionate performances and have toured with their friends and label-mates DIIV and Heavenly Beat, as well having played with indie favorites Real Estate and Mac Demarco, among others.
Live reviews
Opening for Kurt Vile and the Violators, Beach Fossils were the main attraction for me rather than the headlining act. Their surf revival jams constantly act as the soundtrack to my day, and seeing them live only intensified my infatuation with them. Since the 'Daydream' EP came out, Beach Fossils have perfectly captured the soft parts of life, as if each song was crafted for spending the evening on the shore with your high school sweetheart. The way the reverberating vocals sync up with the dancing guitar riff on "Sometimes" in a laid back and careless yet insistent and confident flow makes it feel like you're personally being sung to in an echoed out room. "Sleep Apnea" is a track for late night pondering, when you're all alone with nothing but your thoughts as the faint glow of the moonlight illuminates your bedroom. Whether the bassist is tossing his instrument into the East River mid-performance because "It was on its way out... literally," or the drummer appears to be having more fun than any human being has ever dared to have on his two tom and tambourine setup, Beach Fossils live presence is unbeatable. Dustin Payseur is everything one could want in a lead singer; he's friendly, energetic and will never turn down interaction with his fans. The triumphant chant at the end of "Clash the Truth" brought him down into the audience at the small Orlando venue. The set was brought to an end as Dustin directly addressed the his fans, bellowing out that he wished he could sit down and have a conversation with each one of us, all while the band wailed on their instruments until it all came to a powerful stop. All in all, seeing Beach Fossils will bring out an appreciation for your youth and all the emotions that accompany it. To use Dustin's words, "You get so excited that you can't feel any of your insecurities."
van-williamson
If you’re not familiar with Brooklyn record label Captured Tracks, here’s a couple of quick facts about them; first of all, there’s a certain inventiveness with guitar tones that has effectively become their calling card these past few years - there’s some hugely diverse bands forming their roster, but that imaginative approach to guitar playing is the one thing that seems to unite them. The second thing I’d say about them is that, if you look at their release history, they clearly have a very sensible policy in place; they don’t sign bands that are anything less than excellent. That’d explain, then, why they’ve been home to Brooklyn four-piece Beach Fossils for quite some time now; the band made a lo-fi indie pop sound their trademark on early releases, and perfected it on their excellent 2011 EP What a Pleasure, which also introduced surf pop influences. On their second full-length, though - last year’s Clash the Truth - they aimed for a grittier, noisier sound, one that was a little darker than their previously sunny outlook, and their fast and furious live shows began to reflect that; they played a number of incendiary dates across the UK in May of 2013, and aren’t to be missed when they return with new material.
Joeg_67
Beach Fossils of course were beyond amazing and everyone should check them out next they play in la. The crowd was high energy and everyone was into it so it gave Dustin and them a reason to feed off the crowds energy and was overall a magical experience. No complaints. Heavenly beat was also very good and deserved more people to get hyped up, but the crowd was dumb. They deserved more energy in the crowd. They are great artists. They gave it their all and only one group of people were dancing.
sarahjeannee27
Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun! Great! Fun!
Canheiro
It was a sick show! The opening act was great and beach fossils was amazing, it felt like everyone in the crowd was having such a good time, I got punched in the face by that one dude who got on stage and ended up getting kicked out but I still think this was one of the best shows I've been too!! Anytime beach fossils comes back around I'm there man.
yungleche
I saw these guys live at the Silver Dollar in Toronto back in 2016 and it was the most thrilling concert I've been to! Such good vibes and energy, and the crowd was amazing. Definitely can't wait for these guys to play in Europe! Played a lot of songs from their S/T and Clash The Truth.
This show was amazing!! I had an great time with friends and we jammed out like crazy. The venue was really cool and nice plus the weather was great so no one was sweating too much. Best first concert experience and I Hope Beach Fossils comes back soon!
laranduh01
Surprisingly energetic! I thought the show would be rather mellow, but it was quite high energy. There was a "pit", which I'm not totally into, but it gives you an idea of the energy of the crowd. The sound was good and it's a show I'd recommend.
cm8910
SUPER AWESOME!!!! Super down to earth dudes, they are absolutely the sweetest with their fans! Of course, their music is amazing and hearing it live is always so wonderful to experience, definitely will never ever forget their concerts!!!!
sonsin7
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