BEACH WEATHER
Beach Weather catch a vibe somewhere between the most disparate of extremes. They write hooks universal enough for even the biggest arena full of people, yet introspective enough for even the most introverted wallflower to ponder. Their breezy guitars and sun-soaked choruses barely veil an honest exploration of emotional tumult, anxiety, and loneliness. Musically, the group — Nick Santino [vocals, guitar], Reeve Powers [bass], and Sean Silverman [production] — teeter on an axis of nostalgic melodies and future-facing provocation. With various musical experiences under their respective belts, Beach Weather initially formed back in 2015. The friendship between Nick and Sean even dated back at least a decade prior. As the story goes, they served up a series of EPs — Chit Chat, What A Drag, and Basement Sessions — and logged quite a few miles on the road, building an audience one show at a time. After mutually parting ways in 2017, the guys "talked almost every day." By 2020, they started writing music again. Around the same time, "Sex, Drugs, Etc." organically caught fire. A sync on Spanish-language NETFLIX drama Control Z stirred up initial buzz. On social media, TikTok users implemented the song in a myriad of ways, touching every facet of culture from Stranger Things to K-pop. The success transferred over to streaming platforms as the track amassed 80.8 million Spotify streams and counting. With over 100 million-plus streams, they frame this distinct vision perfectly on their 2023 full-length debut, Pineapple Sunrise [Arista Records].
PHONEBOY
[fohn • boi] noun
1 someone consumed with their phone, unable to tear themselves away from a distraction
2 Gen-Z’s newest indie-pop trio spinning off shimmering licks over toe-tapping beats so danceable it’ll make you put your phone down
Fresh out of school and poised on the verge of adulthood, Phoneboy’s sophomore entry accentuates the power-pop elements of their earlier releases while honing in on a drum-tight enthusiasm that’s defined their signature sound. The appropriately named Moving Out collects a wise-beyond-their-years bittersweet Gen-Z sensibility of a generation forced to contend with not just typical adolescent grievance, but a world continually inundated with ephemeral fame, transient praise, hollow accolades, oh yeah and a global pandemic. Yet as dour as the circumstance, Phoneboy astounds with yet another record chock full of undeniable toe-tappers and bittersweet bangers determined to fuel get-togethers from blowouts to dormroom dance parties…
More sonically articulate than their pop-punk predecessors, these fresh-faced friends mix in more mature influences like the Arctic Monkeys, the Strokes, Frank Ocean, M83, Carseat Headrest, Megan Thee Stallion, and even Billy Joel– studying pop music with maybe more enthusiasm than their majors, they polish their influences into a new collection of all killer no filler super catchy party bops road tested on vaulted stages like Mercury Lounge and House of Independence.
The latest single FERRARI introduces our protagonist with a thousand faces, a youth on the verge of adulthood. Faced with the responsibilities of adulthood they yearn for those carefree highschool days, singing “I just wanna make a couple hundred thousand/ Put all my friends in one big house and/ Party like we’re never gonna see tomorrow/…Honestly I’m hoping that I see tomorrow.” Buoyed by incessant synth strings and wide open production, the track estoles naive fantasies just to realize that “all I ever wanted was carpool karaoke with the illuminati…now I never ever wanna be famous.” But with more hooks than a tackle box, Phoneboy may soon learn you can’t always get what you want.
REC HALL
SoCal indie rock band.