By Imari Rede
Beach Bums dropped their new 16 track album “Everything” on Sept. 22, 2017.
To celebrate their album release they hosted Beach Bums Ball II, a two part record release party “because f— the rules!”
The cover of the album features their “Everything” logo, an image that “symbolizes whatever free thought and imaginative creation your mind can produce,” according to the band.
The album was a colossal drop for the indie music scene. Fans and artists from the areas that the band frequented most such as the Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and beyond were ready to listen and indulge in the head banging, love swaying, and mosh pitting mixed genred bangers that the band is known to serve.
According to the band’s drummer, Kunu, Beach Bums’ sound stems from artists like Kendrick Lamar, Ty Segall, Sales, Ski Mask the Slump God and The Doors.
The album starts off with “3:33,” it sort of opens pandora’s box and gives a taste of what’s to come later because after all, it’s only the beginning. Toward the end of the song, the guitar solo wakes you up. Then it leads into a hard cumbia beat that gets your hips moving and your blood pumping in the pit.
Hip-hop is a big influence for the Beach Bums. “We love it, grew up on it. It’s been in our lifestyles forever,” said Kunu. “We were bumping and drawing influence from all across the map, bruh.”
The fourth song, “Fokus,” is a hip hop joint that has a tight beat and strong message. Standing for what you believe in is just part of the memo.
As a band, Beach Bums acknowledges mental illness as a serious subject.
“‘Everything’ is about life. The struggle, the feeling of making it,” he said.
Lyrics from “Fokus” read “bounce back better than ever because I told you I’m focused, mother f— depression.” They use their platform as artists to empower and show fans that they too can overcome and reach success as long as they put some effort in.
“Growing up my pops always told me I should love and create all types of music so universally I could touch the mind body and souls of everyone,” said Kunu.
The order of the songs on the album was chosen intentionally.
“We all decided that the placement should have the essence of day to night, and to keep people’s minds fresh,” said Kunu.
The last song, “Shut You Out,” closes the album by talking about the grimy backyard scene, the very place they started out. Beach Bums keep it real like they always do.
Through “Shut You Out” they glamorize the trash that is the indie-punk scene but they create a space that is centered on love and growth regardless of how shutout a person might feel during a vulnerable time in their life. Even though some people in that scene are messed up from drinking, doing drugs and partying to cope, they stay together to support each other in getting better.
Beach Bums encourages their fans to be “whoever and whatever the f— they want to be.”
They shared that they are going to drop an EP of B-sides that didn’t make the album. “It’s like eight songs,” said Kunu. So look forward to that coming up online soon.
“Everything” is available now on Bandcamp and Spotify.
