Like similarly-styled bands such as The Drums, The Crookes, The Vaccines and scores of other vaguely retro-sounding guitar bands, Beach Baby specialize in hook-laden rock heavily indebted to both the shimmering production of the 1980s and the era’s overall sound. This approach serves them well on their debut full length, No Mind No Money, an album chocked full of memorable melodies, impressive harmonies and fine instrumental interplay.
Given guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Ollie Pash’s music school background, it’s little surprise these 11 songs go well beyond the usual four chords and out approach. Rather than relying on the formulaic, these arrangements play around with instrumental nuance in a way that causes the listener to get lost in the seemingly endless layers of sound that makes up each. “Powderbaby,” for instance, plays on its surface as straightforward, mid-tempo guitar rock. But when parsed out, it proves to be a far more complex beast with multiple sections, interludes, sharp dynamic contrasts and a winning vocal hook. It’s one of many beautifully intricate compositions executed with ease.
Opening track “Limousine” finds Beach Baby charging out of the gates, driven by the impressively-named Iraklis Theocharopoulos’ propulsive, percolating bass line that underscores the whole of the tune. Its bare-bones introduction then explodes into a chorus of guitar before breaking down to something more Jam-esque, one of multiple instances in which the listener can play spot-the-reference. “Hot Weather” features a decidedly Johnny Marr-esque guitar tone, the ends its introductory phrases sounding more than a little like the Smiths’ “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now.” “Lost Souls,” with its falsetto harmonies, galloping beat and Steve Nieve-sounding organ, borders on late-‘70s Elvis Costello New Wave territory
Having established their basic formula and aesthetic on the opening track, there’s little in the way of profound stylistic deviation throughout. Even the majority of the tempos fall within the same general range. But this is but a small caveat for an album clearly meant to be enjoyed for what it is rather than what it aspires to be. Impressive musicians all, Pash and guitarist/vocalist Lawrence Pumfrey intertwine both their voices and guitars to create impeccably pure and near-perfect pop, while Theocharopoulos and drummer Josh Hodgson lock in to create an unwavering rhythmic foundation.
Yet due to the somewhat lethargic tonality of both Pumfrey and Pash’s vocals, many of the songs unfortunately begin to feel melodically interchangeable and require several listens for each track to stand on its own. But each ultimately possesses its own individual identity thanks to the group’s focus on the music being performed underneath. Each offers a seemingly endless series of simple riffs, subtle melodic shifts and enough deceptively intricate beauty that No Mind No Money offers the listener something new each time through. And given the overall strength of the material, there are sure to be repeat spins for all but the most jaded of listeners.
The crisp riffs and earnest melodicism of “Sleeperhead” could be that of a lost power pop gem, one carried along for years on some forgotten radio wave only to finally crash here in 2016. Similarly, closing track “How Lucky You Are” is a gorgeously simple ballad making use of a non-traditional chord progression to avoid any semblance of mindless repetition as the tempo slows and the vocals begin to melt in the warm summer sun.
With No Mind No Money the members of Beach Baby have done their part to confirm the virulent strength of guitar-based music in the face of a never-ending sea of computers and synths. It’s an unabashed throwback to an earlier time, one in which real instruments and unprocessed vocals were the order of the day. It’s an impressive opening statement that could well position Beach Baby as a band to watch, one capable of breaking out beyond the underground.
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