Our very own '60's surf rock' gone 'angry Courtney Barnett'..
Words by Claudia Nathan
Beach Fatigue [previously Heavy Petting Zoo] are a band out of Swansea who have garnered a bit of attention in the recent year. They play pretty epic, very Aussie, very 60s garage/surf rock, and they’re a good listen. In their recent single the band have nailed an extremely 60s sound – fast, quiet rhythms and heavy, ‘wet’ reverbs. They’ve also nailed an almost half-spoken, ultra-Aussie vocal we’re starting to hear on high rotation with artists like Courtney Barnett and Peter Bibby. Their recent release Drunken Grrrls is a pretty sweet fusion of what sounds like 60s instrumental surf rock and 2015-exclusive indie rock.
These guys have cultivated a sound that has been drowned out by psychedelic/garage rock since the decline of bands like the Beach Boys, the Zombies and Cosmic Psychos, and commixed that with pretty intense break-up lyrics about bleeding and getting drunk, concluding that ‘drunken girls crave drunken bodies’. Which we think is quite funny, and also pretty cool. Beach Fatigue have already performed alongside some great acts like Menace Beach, Eagulls and Evans the Death and have received ongoing support from BBC Radio Wales’ Adam Walton & Bethan Elfyn. Drunken Grrrls is set for release on October 30 via Kool Girl Records, keep an eye on these guys.
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