Album Reviews

Following up on their recent split with Nice Guys, Boston garage punks Black Beach have a new EP out called “Play Loud, Die Vol. II”. It comes with just three songs, but is well worth your time if you’re into fuzz-laden blasts of noise.

All three tracks have a very different vibe, yet somehow all end up sounding like something you’d expect a band called Black Beach and a release called “Play Loud, Die Vol. II” to churn out. Opening track “No Place For Me” starts with a menacing bassline that is then reinforced by a repetitive riff and hard-hitting drums that ramp up the angst. Up next is “Cluttered Head”, which sounds like someone unearthed an old Nirvana song that didn’t make it on “Bleach”, before the band brings it all home on the brooding “Nothing’s Golden” that builds up to vocalist Steven Instasi screaming ‘I don’t know what to believe’ while drowning in reverb. Nowadays, I sometimes don’t know what to believe anymore either. But it’s thanks to bands like Black Beach that I know good things are still happening.

Track listing:

1. No Place for Me
2. Cluttered Head
3. Nothing's Golden