Pygmalion is a host to a number of great artists every single year, known for it’s eclectic line-ups that combine musicians from across genres. Philly-based band, Beach Slang, is bringing up-tempo drums and crunching guitars to The Channing Murray Foundation on Friday night for a set sure to leave the audience screaming (perhaps crying, too) for more. For having only been in the scene for roughly two years, these indie-punk rockers have already staked their claim amongst the rest of their fellow performers, and this is all without an entire full length under their belts. If “these guys sound like The Replacements,” leaves you giddy, then their set isn’t one to miss. Beach Slang hits listeners deep with lead singer James Alex’s knife-sharp words and haunting harmonies swimming into eager ear canals.
For the kids (and adults) who just don’t really know what they’re doing with their lives yet, Alex assures you “We are not alone, we are not mistakes/ Don’t whisper now, we’re allowed to be loud” on debut single “Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas” coming from their first-full length, Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us. Its lines as such that have crafted Beach Slang into the band you listen to on a rainy night driving down I-57, windows open because it feels like they just should be.
A closer look at EPs Who Would Ever Want Anything So Broken and Cheap Thrills On A Dead End Street shows that James is growing, learning and understanding the world around him from the mistakes and fuckups he sings about. “When everything breaks/what happens to us?” he asks on “All Fuzzed Out.” Beach Slang is a band helping us cope. Our 20s and 30s are a time of tumult, constantly having us wonder, ‘what’s next?,’ ‘where am I going?,’ ‘am I doing this whole “life” thing right?’ James Alex and Beach Slang are here to help us answer questions like these. At the very least, they’re here to let us know they’ve been through it, too.
Two years ago Beach Slang started out playing small bars and cramped venues. In the past year they’ve upped their game selling out bigger crowds and running sets on big festival circuits such as Riot Fest, Groezrock and The Fest. Pygmalion will be the start of an electrifying fall run for this band, and it’s a good idea to see them now while you have the chance because Beach Slang will most definitely be a giant name the next you hear of them, with dates already booked months into 2016. Get ready to jam out with them late Friday night and keep a look out for their debut LP, Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us, out October 30th via C-U’s very own Polyvinyl Records.
Beach Slang are playing at Channing-Murray Foundation as part of Pygmalion on Friday with Beach Slang, Single Player and Euriah.