Black Beach’s new EP, Play Loud, Die Vol. 2, sounds like someone took a bunch of musicians raised on 80s indie and early 90s grunge, then transported them to Boston in 2017 where they looked around at the music being made today, saw that the DIY spirit was still alive and well and that people still loved to make noise, and they decided to join in and make their own noise. It sounds like sweaty, stinky, rock and roll, and it’s beautiful.
Play Loud, Die Vol. 2 is Black Beach’s follow up to their 2014 release of Play Loud, Die Vol. 1 and the fact that it took multiple volumes to capture songs that fit “Play Loud, Die” aptly describes the attitude of their music. It’s fuzzy, it’s grunge-y, it’s punk-y, it’s loud, it’s noise, it’s rock and roll, and I bet it’d make for killer live shows. In between Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, Black Beach released a full LP entitled Shallow Creatures, a live set recorded at Sound Museum in Brighton, MA, and most recently a split 7” with fellow Boston underground noise makers, Nice Guys.
Vol. 2 opens with riff-heavy headbanger, “No Place for Me.” Short, sweet, to the point. A heavy song that’s designed to get people moving and I’m certain it works.
Second track on the EP is the lead single, “Cluttered Head,” and a tasty lead single it is. Quite reminiscent of some of Nirvana’s b-sides (think “Aneurysm” especially) and stuff from Mudhoney’s Superfuzz Bigmuff. It’s heavy and aggressive without losing musical interest, and it’s groovy as hell.
The third and final track of Vol. 2, “Nothing’s Golden” is somewhat an anomaly compared to the other two. The best way I can think to describe it is as a grunge doo-wop track, and I dig it. “Nothing’s Golden” is a groovy slow burner that still packs a punch when the chorus kicks in. While it’s got a slightly different vibe than the other two tracks, it still fits well and rounds out the EP nicely.
My one critique of the album is that I’m not digging the vocal production. The vocal performance is excellent, I wouldn’t change a thing about that, the production is my area for critique. The vocals are highly affected, I think in an effort to combine psychedelic rock and grunge – channeling The Doors meet Nirvana. It’s part of their schtick, showing up even in their live album, and I get it. I’m just not a fan of that particular production. I feel that it distances the listener from music that is intimate. You can basically smell the sweat coming off the guitars and drums, like you’re right in the club next to the band. The effect on the vocals makes them feel far away and alien. The instruments and vocals are trying achieve two separate creative goals, and I feel as though the EP could be improved with some unity in goal between the different parts.
However that’s picking nits. I still really enjoyed the EP, and that critique doesn’t take away from the fun of this album – which is available in a limited run of an awesome splattered pink 7″ records, check out their bandcamp page (blackbeachma.bandcamp.com) and pick one up before they’re gone!
-Kyle Smith
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