by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Freddy Beach is a joyful fuzz band started by two of New Orleans DIY's finest, Ray Micarelli (Video Age) and Chris Rehm (Caddywhompus). The duo released their debut, Casino Valley, back in 2014, and just in time for winter (at least in the parts of the country that experience winter), the pair are back with another blast of surf pop sunshine. Lost Weekend, out today, is filled with jangly garage rock and shimmering summertime hooks that will have you sweating even in the coldest of temperatures.
Recorded at home by Rehm, the duo burn through hazy riffs and peppy rhythms, capturing the band's adoration of 60's fuzz and inescapable melodies. Freddy Beach does it all... they boogie, they rip, and they swoon. From the start of "Take Me Back," Micarelli offers a nasal bit of warped pop splendor, a song that seems to reside in a glorious world built upon the spirit of The Ramones and The Beach Boys. "Break Time" is tranquility at it's finest, a warm cloud of relaxation with the repeated mantra of "break time, television". I get this song and I love this song. Lost Weekend picks up the tempo with "Drop Out," a ripper fueled a razor tight rhythm and blistering fuzz that would make Tony Molina proud. "RIP Tide," the EPs all too sudden finale, is all swooning surf pop delivered without a care in the world as Freddy Beach glide from dreamy hooks to warm blown out riffs.
Listen to this one on repeat. Good times are pretty much guaranteed. It's the sunshine you need in the darkest of days. Happy Holidays from Freddy Beach.
Freddy Beach's Lost Weekend is out today.