Beddy Rays: Raw Emotion With A Feel-Good Factor

BEDDY RAYS come from a world revolving around friends, festivals and drinks on the beach, and their self-titled debut album can transport anyone there. While not avoiding difficult topics, they approach everything with an upbeat, laidback attitude and their album release is no different. As we sit down with vocalist Jackson Van Issum and guitarist Lewis McKenna to discuss the release, Jackson explains, “I’m pretty excited for it all really. A little bit nervous but I’m pretty confident it’s all going to go well.” Part of this relaxed feeling might be down to their impressive fanbase, who were listening well before any album was out, and are clearly drawn in by their catchy choruses and easy-listening indie sound.

Something that particularly stands out about BEDDY RAYS is the friendship between the members of the band, and the way they were formed reflects this entirely. Lewis explains, “we’ve all known each other since we were five or six years old. We went through school just being mates and playing footy together, but we all had a love of music. We all played guitar through school, but the band didn’t actually start until after high school. Benny [Wade, drums] learned the drums through guitar hero drums, and we all chipped in for his drum kit. We just had a jam out the back of Jacko’s parent’s house.” Jackson explains that their first gig was at a party at his house when his parents were away, where they played a mix of covers and original songs. It’s easy to imagine the scene, and this feeling of carefree teenage summers is perfectly captured in the album, especially in songs like Wait A While and FOTU. Later on, Jackson states, “it can only ever be the four of us in this band. That’s why we really look after each other.” With so many bands consistently changing their line-ups, it’s good to know that BEDDY RAYS‘ main focus is prioritising each member.

While recording an album is never easy, BEDDY RAYS had a major disruption when their studio was completely flooded. They were recording in a studio in Brisbane, in the house of Brock Weston, a producer and a friend of the band. Australia was afflicted by floods in May, and Weston’s whole house fell victim to this. Jackson explains, “that wasn’t easy to manage, but he [Weston] managed to save everything we used on the record so we just pushed on. His positivity was amazing. He’s probably in a low point in his life with his house going under, but he was so keen to pump this record out for us, and we ended up going to his mate’s house and recording the rest of it there.” The dedication behind still completing the album after this makes the payoff all the more worth it, and to still be able to produce an album of such a high standard is a testament to the band and everybody who made it. Despite everything, the band still discuss how much fun they had writing and recording the album.

While still upholding their positive attitude, BEDDY RAYS don’t avoid difficult themes in their music, and this is reflected in Sobercoaster, which describes drinking culture in Australia and its negative effects. “The drinking community is so strong here, everywhere you go there’s alcohol,” Jackson says. “It talks about that being so prevalent around us growing up, and at the same time it talks about looking after each other, if your friends are there to have you in your lowest points.” In a society where men are encouraged to avoid their problems and drown them in alcohol, admitting you’re struggling isn’t easy. While keeping their upbeat sound, BEDDY RAYS wrote a song that is inspiring, in a way that it is unashamed and avoids nothing.

Brin’s Song applies the same raw honesty and sensitivity when tackling something of great personal significance, and Jackson explains the origin behind the song. It is dedicated to his sister Brinley, who sadly passed away at the end of 2021. “She was the biggest fan of the band and I thought she deserved to have a song written about her. I thought it was a perfect way to end the first side of the record, have her there because she deserves to be there. It’s just a song about missing her and that she’s always present with us. The whole album is so fast and loud and she was such a quiet soul of a person so it’s perfect for her, just to calm us back down.” With the context explained, the song suddenly makes perfect sense, and makes the album all the more meaningful. They also explain that because her favourite colour was purple, the band have purple hoodies and purple records coming out in Brin’s honour.

In contrast to every pop punk sounding band ever, BEDDY RAYS are extremely proud of where they’re from. Lewis explains that their hometown is one of their main inspirations, and says, “it’s in our name, Beddy Rays from Redland Bay. We try and show that in our music videos and in our social media, we want to put Reddy Bay on the map. It’s a big part of our identity.” Jackson goes on to say. “We all grew up there together just a stone’s throw away from each other, riding to each other’s houses.” Again, in the vein of friendship, it would make sense that the band would have such pride for their hometown with so many good memories and a sense of community there.

A main priority for BEDDY RAYS when writing songs is to make them sound festival ready, as Jackson explains. “We write songs putting ourselves in the perspective of being at our show, with people putting their arms around each other, on each other’s shoulders, screaming the words back.” This was especially inspired by seeing CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN at a festival, where the band were so impressed with their stage presence and ‘how enormous they sound.’” Lewis adds, “just the feeling you get when you listen to them live. We sort of try to capture that and reinvent it.”

The art for this album stands out as chaotic and fun, created by artist Struthless, or Campbell Walker. Jackson explains, “we wanted to do us in our hometown, where you could see the bay in the background. We’re big lovers of vinyl, and when you have a big record in front of you, you can be looking at the artwork for ages. The back is like the aftermath of the front, which is really cool.” Lewis continues, “every time you pick it up you find something different, it’s like a Where’s Wally.”

At the moment, the band just seem to be enjoying themselves but they do have an end goal. “We’re just having fun with it, but we want to make a career out of it as well. We want to take it seriously but not too seriously. We’ll take it as far as we can though,” explains Lewis. Right now, BEDDY RAYS are diving into the deep end with their music, releasing their album and touring as much as possible. They bring something very needed into alternative music: positive energy. To sum up their debut album, Jackson says, “it’s there to pump you up and have a good weekend, but it’s also there to hold you when you’re not feeling so good. It’s a record for your friends and the people around you.”

Beddy Rays is out now via self-release.

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