ALBUM REVIEW: Beachheads II – Beachheads
We spend our days clocking in and clocking out. We’re running the rat race relentlessly. We’re slaves to a system that’s centuries old. But what if we broke the mould and did something different? For KVERLERTAK founders Vidar Landa and Marvin Nygaard, they’ve done just that. Swapping out their day-job’s black-and-roll riot for mid-90s post-Britpop and power pop, the very concept of BEACHHEADS is enough to convince heavy metal elitists to throw their toys out the pram.
Believe it or not, BEACHHEADS – completed by vocalist Børild Haughom and drummer Espen Kvaløy – have been around for a while. 2017’s self-titled debut was swept under the rug amidst all the madness of KVELERTAK, but its follow-up Beachheads II is arguably the breakthrough you need to buy into. Doing away with the one-dimensional, THE REPLACEMENTS-inspired power-pop they flirted with on their first album, Beachheads II drifts into a world where college rock, jangle-pop and post-britpop bleed into one. Sure, it certainly feels like you’re injecting the mid-90s into your veins, but when it’s done this well, why would you complain?
In fact, Beachheads II never sits in the same seat twice, yet never feels out of place. Whether it’s Break It Off’s BEACH BOYS meets THE DRUMS surf-rock summer vibes, Down South’s glimmering campfire indie-folk, or the college rock-era R.E.M. melodies closer Oh Joy channels; there’s something for everyone who’s ever loved a little summer in their sadness. And by sadness, we’re talking about BEACHHEADS ability to sound like it’s raining in July. Whilst Landa, Nygaard, and Kvaløy conjure up summer days spent by the lake or beach parties and bonfires, Haughom wallows away in an existential crisis, stuck between smelling life’s roses and stomping all over them.
Oh Joy is jangle-pop at its finest, guitar tones that taste like an ice cream on a hot day, whilst the honey-soaked harmonies exclaim: “Heaven knows I’m miserable now/Feeling all alone I indulge in silence/Why are you still hanging around?/All I really want is to die.” This tongue-in-cheek surrealism feels like a sign of the times, perfectly encapsulating the changing tides COVID-19 has brought to our moods. But don’t worry, Beachheads II doesn’t ever outstay its welcome or dampen your mood for too long. Over and done with in less than half and hour, you could likely listen to it twice before your takeaway arrives – yet every time you’re left hungry for more. On a surface level, it’s a simple record, yet spend a little time with it and you’ll find plenty to chew on.
On II, BEACHHEADS shake off the shackles of being both a KVELERTAK side-project and a REPLACEMENTS copycat. Instead, they’ve delivered a dose of modern nostalgia, throwing out a post-Britpop-meets-college-rock dream for fans of the mid-90s. If you needed a soundtrack to your summertime sadness, this is it.
Rating: 8/10
Beachheads II is set for release on March 4th via Fysisk Format.
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