One Track Mind

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Tomorrow, May 25th, Beach Fossils will deliver their eponymous debut LP on the Captured Tracks label. The album features eleven tracks of jangly indie rock whose edges blur and cloud like overly saturated watercolor strokes. Beach Fossils is led by Brooklynite Dustin Payseur, who recorded a 7″ under the band name earlier this year before fleshing out a full band. His influences aren’t difficult to spot; whether directly or indirectly, Payseur’s work bears a heavy influence of acts such as The Field Mice, Allen Clapp, and The Wedding Present–a crop of artists whose imprint also shines through in the work of contemporaries such as The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Surfer Blood.

“Youth,” the record’s second track, possesses an air of the unassuming upon first listening, its heavily reverbed guitar riffs ringing out like a C-86 tune on sedatives. Payseur’s vocals are heavily processed along similar lines, forsaking definition for a foggy texture that fits the proceedings well. While “Youth” is unquestionably a composition that favors simplicity over complexity, the interplay between its guitars is perfectly orchestrated, each one pinging off the other without ever sounding too busy. It is also a grower of a tune, with each successive listen making it a little more beloved. There is something brilliant about the sense of ease with which Beach Fossils construct their lazy melodies. Even if “Youth” doesn’t wash over listeners as a revelation, it is a worthwhile little ride.