by Chanell Noise (@igetsalty)
Imagine the last live show you attended. Really close your eyes and imagine the experience. Do you smell the sweat, beer and cigarette smoke? Do you feel the heaviness of the air? How about the stickiness of the floor? Visualize blood red lights intersecting royal blue ones. Both atmospheric and thrilling, rock shows feed our senses. Black Beach’s second album, Tapeworm, also feeds us in a way we didn’t know we’d miss. Although released in October of 2019, Tapeworm calls for another highlight amidst a live music-drought.
The Boston, MA three-piece plays off of stretched textures and call-and-response interactions between instrumentation and vocals. Songs like “Dumpster Fire” and “Luxury Car” build anticipation by stretching instrumental breaks. With vocals acting as an angsty adlib to the classic guitar/bass/percussive combo, we’re transported into the pit of a Black Beach show.
Each song plays off the energy of the last; “Sometimes This Body Lets Me Down” makes excellent use of powerful guitar melodies like “Luxury Car” before it and “Modern World” after. The whole album, all 44 minutes, works to build an all-too-real auditory experience. Solos sit so pretty in the mix, percussion gives a controlled attitude that doesn’t eat up the composition and the baselines hold everything together like a koozie around a cold beer. “Broken Computer”, a video we premiered here on Post-Trash, highlights Black Beach’s ability to command energy. The song touts a unique flow with the vocals signaling speed changes.
Overall, Tapeworm realizes Black Beach’s volatility with regard to sound and dexterity in regards to flair. “Positive Feedback Loop”, “Sage”, “Dumpster Fire” and “It Feels Nice Just to Care About Anything”… so much of the album sounds like a hi-fidelity recording of a live set. The vocals are raw, strained and honest. The ambience is chaotic yet controlled. Amidst a pandemic-induced hiatus from live music, I can’t get enough of Tapeworm’s production. The meter of the songs are so natural. We as listeners are transported into a live venue every play-through and we have Black Beach to thank for that.