The sophomore release from the Canadian quartet The Beaches is a blast of riveting anthems to the unstable dating life one experiences in one’s 20s as Blame My Ex, careens forth having no time for pathos.
The record starts with the group’s viral hit, the killer “Blame Brett” as no punches are pulled lyrically around the hip-swinging poppy-punky sound, capturing the uncertainty of moving on, while being wronged in your past. The band, lead vocalist/bassist Jordan Miller, guitarist Kylie Miller, keyboardist/guitarist Leandra Earl, and drummer Eliza Enman-McDaniel are confident in their swagger, lyrics/vocals, and tight playing.
Almost as good as the opener is the jangly alt-rock of “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Paranoid” which soars along on chugging guitar lines and fantastic lead vocals from Miller around questioning, identifiable, lyrics. Jordan Miller’s vocals are dynamite throughout elevating already solid offerings like the fear of missing out based “Shower Beer” and the dreaming/swirling “My Body Ft. Your Lips” which sees the band bring on Beach Weather to give the song a duet feel with sweetly added backing vocals.
All these tracks feel honest and work well, but towards the end of Blame My Ex, the group goes full on, anthemic pop rock with less success. “Edge of the Earth” and “If A Tree Falls” both end up being scrubbed clean of what makes The Beaches work best, that edge, as both deliver bland lyrics and less impassioned playing.
However, there is much more to like on the album than to dislike from this young group. The Beaches, Blame My Ex is a high-voltage, powerful, pop offering that strikes the right rock and roll chords.
One Response
This is an album about heart break…..although it does rock as well, they have always been clear it’s about those painful emotions, so not surprising with the last two songs.