Beach Fossils: From The Bedroom To The Studio (Interview)

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Direct from Brooklyn, New York, Beach Fossils will perform two show in New Zealand next week. Just before the band embarked for their journey Down Under, The 13th Floor emailed a few questions about the making of the band’s second album, Clash The Truth, to bandleader Dustin Payseur. The results of that exchange can be found below:

MD: The new album, Clash The Truth, found you moving from the bedroom to a “real studio”. How did that impact the music? Did it affect your songwriting, or at least the final “shape” of the songs?

DP: It didn’t have an impact initially because I recorded the album at home and then re-recorded everything almost verbatim the studio. Sonically there are differences in texture, and the demo was drum machine instead of live drums. Drums really made the biggest difference.

MD: I understand that your love of punk influenced the new album. Punk is a pretty loose term these days, what punk music did you listen to and why did you connect with it?

DP: I was listening to a lot of UK82 and bebop, I wouldn’t say either one had a direct influence in songwriting, but I liked the sense of intensity in emotion and raw expression. These are both genres I loved as a teenager, so maybe it was me feeling nostalgic for those shitty high school days when everything used to make me angry.

MD: From what I gather, recording Clash The Truth was a collaborative effort with drummer Tommy Gardner and producer Ben Greenberg, what did each of them contribute to the finished product?

DP: Tommy worked hard and fast and kept me sane throughout the process. And Ben really understood me when I talked about what I was reaching for. That’s the best you can ask for.

MD: I was hoping you might be willing to discuss a few of the songs on Clash The Truth in detail. If you are game, would you please give some background, insight, or insightful details about these three songs: Sleep Apnea, Caustic Cross and In Vertigo (recorded with Kazu Makino).

DP: Sleep Apnea was written the day before I had a really bad panic attack. I found myself losing it and writing that song was very therapeutic. Caustic Cross is me bringing back those shitty school days I talked about earlier. Going to Catholic school and feeling sick at how hypocritical everybody was. And In Vertigo just naturally came right out, it was the eye of the storm for me.

MD: Finally, how do the songs on Clash The Truth translate to the stage? Have they evolved since recording them?

DP: Yeah they’ve changed so much. I think the songs are a lot better now. I almost wished I had toured the songs for a year before releasing them, it would be a really different record.

Click here to listen to Sleep Apnea from Clash The Truth:

BEACH FOSSILS NEW ZEALAND SEPTEMBER 2013

SEPTEMBER 23rd 2013 – BODEGA, Wellington
SEPTEMBER 24th 2013 – KINGS ARMS, Auckland

Brooklyn indie darlings Beach Fossils will tour the North Island this September in what will be their first ever New Zealand shows.

Tickets are on sale now from www.undertheradar.co.nz.

Beach Fossils began in 2009 as Dustin Payseur’s solo project, but before long a full band – including DIIV‘s Zachary Cole Smith – had coalesced around him to bring his dreamy washes of shoegaze to life.

In 2010 they released their self-titled debut album on esteemed Brooklyn indie imprint Captured Tracks – home to fellow alternative icons such as Mac DeMarco and Wild Nothing – and soon began building a buzz for their up-tempo and visceral live shows, having long since ditched their early DIY, bedroom vibe for an aesthetic which was far more realised and substantial.

Earlier this year, they further built on their considerable promise and acclaim with the release of sophomore long-player Clash The Truth again on Captured Tracks Clash the Truth marks a clear progression in the ongoing story of Beach Fossils. Drawing from the previous works’ melodic strengths and uncanny guitar textures emboldened by a sound closer to their energetic and cathartic live set, it’s the clear next step in the trajectory of the band and the dis-association from the home-recording boom from which it originated.

More than just tour buddys and pen pals, Captured Tracks artists have a very special place in our heart, being strongly affiliated with NZ and NZ bands and having set up a label partnership with Flying Nun in the US. In fact Flying Nun have a dedicated staff member and office within the CT offices! Flying Nun will be curating the supports for these shows and we couldn’t be more stoked that it’s Beach Fossils who are kicking off what we hope to be a regular family gathering!

The 13th Floor
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