Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Over the last couple of years, local band Beachmen, have been making upbeat garage pop that aims to give a jolt of energy. Their ebullient beats matched with their darker lo-fi sound make for unique listening.
The band is made up of three band members; Kyle Dickson, Joshua Hunsaker, and Evan Vice. Kyle and Evan grew up around the Salt Lake area while Joshua was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, and moved to Utah as a teenager.
Having been friends for some time, the three eventually began making and performing music together. In 2013, they recorded a self-titled album which is available online for free.
The album holds a wide-array of sounds. The first track, Young Love, begins synth-laden with subtle bass in the background before rhythmic guitars come in followed by soaring vocals. It’s makes for a perfect pop song reminiscent of great 80s new wave bands. But songs like "Evolutionary" and "Be Therm(wise)," are so drastically different, it is almost surprising they come from the same band. This characteristic shows their great creativity, and makes it exciting to see how Beachmen will progress in the future.
“We all wrote songs when we came together, and we had different styles, so that’s what we were really going for on that album. We wanted there to be a lot of different sounds represented,” Lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Dickson said when asked about how the album was written.
When Dickson cited influences ranging from the The Rolling Stones and Radiohead to Prince and George Benson, it is easy to see why they have so many diverse sounds in their music.
“I don’t know if I consciously ever think that I want to sound like something in particular, but yeah, I’m sure those different artists leak in,” Dickson said.
Beachmen will be going to a cabin outside of Beaver, Utah this weekend to record their new album. They’ve been preparing for this for a few months, and hope to record all the tracks in three short days. In describing the new album, Dickson said they hope to have a little rockier sound than their debut self-titled did.
Although they will be taking a short break from playing shows due to their focus on recording, Beachmen have have been diligent in playing around Salt Lake, and have built a loyal fan base thanks to their always engaging shows.
“I think our music and shows are a really great pick-me-up. It’s upbeat and a lot of fun, and everyone that comes can have a great time,” Dickson said.
They are playing a free show on Nov. 13 with The Features at the Urban Lounge.
Brock Allen is a Montanan and a communications student at Brigham Young University-Idaho. He is currently an intern at KSL.com. Contact him at olaf.sant6@gmail.com
