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Beachheads’ power pop debut album from 2017 received great reviews, and was described as both "Catchy as fuck" by Stereogum and "Resiliently heart-heavy" by Rolling Stone Magazine. Now they’re back with a new album, where producer Frode Strømstad (of I Was a King and The No Ones, the latter featuring R.E.M.’s Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey ) has stripped the classic rock’n’roll tricks to the bone. There might be some fine power pop residues left if you listen carefully, but Beachheads sophomore album might as well be described as Love with a couple of punk records under their belt –or as a post-punk version of early Oasis, where innocence and romance goes hand in hand with social realism and dystopia.
Frode Strømstad:"I could picture quite early how it would sound in the end. To me each song is strong and unique, in a way that makes it quite hard to categorize Beachheads on this album."
The band:"We brought more punk mentality to this album, but then it kind of ended up sounding more indie rock. The song ‘Change’ is a good example- it started out as an attempt to make a Johnny Thunders song, but ended up sounding more like R.E.M."
Producer Strømstad:I wanted the band to move on from the sound they had already established, to make sure they did not repeat themselves. Their genre is based on certain formulas, so I’ve been trying to push them out of their comfort zone. Some of the songs are pure punk rock, while others are stripped down to a bare minimum.
Beachheads:"A lot of elements were recorded live, staying true to the basic ideas we already had, instead of adding more fuzzy guitars and louder drums. Some of the demo recordings actually made it all the way to the final mix, as it was impossible to recreate Marvins shaker made out of toilet paper rolls and Bens Original rice.
Børild Haughom's lyrics, thematize his secluded everyday life in Stavanger, where he recently became a father of twins. He explores numbness, overwhelming worries and fear of death. Still, there is celebration of unity, love and a rediscovery of life through close friends and family. In that sense he joins a long West Norwegian tradition of appreciating what you have; from the Protestantism of Hans Nielsen Hauge via the Ryfylke Quakers all the way to the simple everyday life of the present.
If you listen carefully, you might find a good melody behind the hardships of life. Beachheads «II» is the soundtrack of everyday life, a textbook of utter joy and an acceptance of life as it is."
Credits:Beachheads II was recorded at Nabolaget Studio, Oslo by Øystein Frantzvåg.Mixed at Amper Tone Studio, Oslo by Bård Ingebrigtsen.Mastered by Morgan Nikolaysen