Beach Slang’s ’80s-inspired new album isn’t anything revolutionary
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15.01.2020

Beach Slang’s ’80s-inspired new album isn’t anything revolutionary

Words by Scott Hudson

Not James Alex’s best effort.

The Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City delivers a touch of the ‘80s. If you’re interested in banging your head alongside an omnipresent drumkit and guitar licks, this is the album for you, however, if you’re looking for more than that in terms of lyrics or song structure, the album doesn’t deliver. 

Beach Slang’s frontman, James Alex, nails the vocal tones that flagship the ‘80s hard-rock movement, but fails to bring any new innovations or a personal touch to the genre. 

‘Nowhere Bus’ and ‘Bar No One’ are the strip-backed contributions, a song technique typically used to spotlight the lyricism in an otherwise heavier tracklist, however ‘Nowhere Bus’ produces lyrics “I’m a one-way ticket on a nowhere bus” on repeat for two minutes over a strummed guitar and string section, which offers no new chords nor character. 

‘Tommy in the 80s’ is a clear ode to artists such as Rick Springfield, Pat Benatar and Starship, but fails to stand out as anything more than a shadow of their creativity.

There is a place for this album alongside ‘80s nostalgia, but it falls short in its true recollection and would fail to contend among an already competitive modern music landscape.

5.5