Artist Spotlight: Beach Fossils Tackle a Different Type Ambiance with 'The Other Side of Life'
CHANGING UP THE SONIC RHYTHM OF THEIR SOUND IS NEEDED FOR AN ARTIST TO GROW - It gives them depth and maturity to watch their music get redefined. From their latest album, The Other Side of Life, Beach Fossils takes a different direction than the heavy guitar tone and pedal influence common in their past songs, by re-releasing and reconceptualizing some older songs. Restructuring the tracks with a jazzy undertone, The Other Side of Life enhances the identity of each re-released track. Lead singer and guitarist Dustin Payseur explains how it all came together, “I was collaborating with a friend of mine who’s a trained jazz musician, he’s an arranger and a composer. I was giving him ideas of what I wanted this album to feel like. We have been working together musically for a long time, I have known him for 13 years at this point.” With new beginnings on this project, they both understood what they wanted. As Payseur notes, “it was like it was really easy for us to get where each other were coming from,” he continues, “I think when he sent the first idea over, I was like, ‘he’s nailed it. He got it.’ I was really excited about it. This album was gonna work.”
Though there can be some hurdles to go through when making something that you don’t have a lot of experience with, keeping the trust between himself, bandmates, and other artists that contributed on the album was essential. Payseur shares, “I’m not a jazz musician. I am not classically or formally trained in any way. I just had to give him these vague, yet specific instructions and hope that he would do it. He’s so incredibly talented. I trusted him.”
Through this trust, they were able to keep their momentum going for the album and in what songs they were going to choose. As Payseur states, “well, the songs that sound the best are songs that have choruses that turn around in a nice way.” Payseur then adds about the other songs that he didn’t choose, “it didn’t leave me any room to use songs from the first record because I didn’t have any choruses on the first record. Just guitar lines instead of singing.” This was one factor that made him not use those songs, but he then goes into more detail about how chose songs from the Beach Fossils discography. “Some of them I was pretty certain they weren’t gonna work. He would send me an idea, and I'd be like, ‘not sure about this.’ I’d give him some notes and come back and forth. Eventually he would send one over, and I was like, ‘that’s perfect. That’s exactly what I was hearing in my head.’ I got really close to scrapping some, and then last minute, they ended up working.”
It’s hard to get the magic revving when making an album, you need the right people in order to make it work. Payseur talks about the benefits of having the right people, “I don’t think there’s anyone else that I could have made this record with. There’s obviously tons of living talented jazz musicians, but I think the communication and friendship that I share with Gardner is what made this record happen.” The vibrations being right helped The Other Side of Life become a completed album.
With a new chapter in their discography and in the band itself, Payseur talks about what he hopes the listener can take away from this project and other future projects he may make. “I really do try to make music that’s for active listening. I know it is a-lot to ask from somebody. It’s easier if you’re working in the medium of film or something that commands your full attention.” Payseur wants the listener to hear what the record is all about. This is not just a record, it is someone's personal art, there is more depth, and luckily that is what Payseur keeps in mind when making music.
Who knew this was going to happen though. Nothing was in the works until the pandemic hit, which was what helped fuel Payseur to pursue working on this album, but didn’t contribute to the inspiration. “I don’t think it (the pandemic) shaped the feel of the project at all, but I think it gave us time to do it,” Payseur adds why it wasn’t possible before, “Jumping from a tour to getting back into the studio, back and forth, non-stop for years. This project is something that I have been wanting to do for a really long time, and so I reached out to Gardner.” Seizing the opportunity of extra time while scrambling to find some time with fatherhood, touring, and other studio time is not easy while trying to live one's life too.
With that being said, Payseur and Beach Fossils are back on schedule for the moment and would like to keep it that way. “Finish this tour, healthy, and continue walking on music and to be a present, mindful human and father” are what Payseur’s future plans and intentions will be after this tour is over and The Other Side of Life is released, which is out everywhere on November 19th. Be sure to catch Beach Fossils on tour and to pick up their latest record, The Other Side of Life, from your local record store, or stream it on your favorite streaming app. This is the first album from Beach Fossils since 2017, so we are excited and ready to get a copy for ourselves.
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