Tropical vibes, cocktails at sunset and palm trees a plenty. When it’s these sort of images that come to mind when listening to a band then you know it’s going to be happy days from here on out. For that, Beach Baby have become true pop purveyors, riding enough waves of melody that make the Atlantic seem like toilet residue.
Anchored by co-frontmen Lawrence Pumfrey and Ollie Pash, the pair met while both were at Bristol University before expanding their outfit with the help of bassist Iraklis Theocharopoulos and drummer Josh ‘Shep’ Hodgson. The result is one of the most infectious British guitar bands of the past decade, full of potent pop hooks. It’s a sound many have found tricky to pin down.
“We listen to music from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s as well as the 00s – so naturally it all comes together in our own music,” muses Lawrence. “It’s good that you’re not going to be pigeon-holed into a certain decade of music.”
That pot of influences has been particularly evident over the past twelve months, from the breakthrough refrain of ‘Ladybird’ that kick-started their rapid ascent, to the post-punk drive of ‘Limousine’, it’s seen Beach Baby refine and focus their method of attack for the summer ahead. Latest cut ‘Lost Soul’ is an amalgamation of the two, full of propulsive fire yet still dripping in catchy pop candy.
“I think like every band, the sound develops and you find out what works and what doesn’t.” For Ollie, that creativity and ability to morph between styles is exactly what makes Beach Baby so exciting. It’s a natural development that came from his own early forays as a classically trained musician and chorister. “I think we’d get bored if the conversation was like, ‘Naah we’ve always got to sound like this’.”
“There’s a collective understanding as to what works for our band,” summarises Lawrence. “But it’s not naturally talked about or is a particular mandate when we write.”
“We’ve kind of found our voice, and if as a band you don’t find that then it’s probably time to… you know… knock it on the head!”
[sc name=”pull” text=”It’s about doing it because you love doing it.” ]
Acclaim for the smooth crooners themselves has been bubbling for a while now, recently signing to Island Records and touring around the country in support of bands such as Hooton Tennis Club and Sundara Karma. Lawrence sees it as the right people coming on board at the right time. “With our band it’s just naturally come along, like we’ve had great support from the beginning, but…”
“It’s never been insane!” interjects Ollie.
“Or zeitgeist level hype,” continues Lawrence. “It’s been gradual and for a band of our kind it’s the sort of thing you’d want.”
That gradual rise is set to take a drastic leap in the next year, with the band already soundtracking Netflix shows, a summer of festival appearances in the books and successive tours seeing the band play their biggest shows to date. “The headline tours have definitely been the biggest moments so far,” reflects drummer Shep. “Suddenly you have to sell the tickets and everyone is coming down because of you, but those have been great.”
The steady stream of tracks is about to get bigger with a debut album completed and ready. And it may not even end there. “We’re sitting with it completed and done.” Kanye done? “Not Kanye done, but done,” confirms Ollie.
“We’re writing new material all the time,” elaborates Lawrence. “So we’ve got that first album all done and ready, with new material in the works too.”
Forecasting a huge 2016, Beach Baby are finally turning that bright light into a full blown spotlight, and if you’re expecting a quick dash to fame academy and a debut clothing range, you may be waiting a while… “With music it’s just about doing it because you love doing it,” says Ollie. “If you want anything else out of it you’re probably in the wrong game.”
“And it’s probably just going to go to shit really isn’t it?”
No shit here, it’s time to get those swimming trunks out. The Beach (Baby) is calling. [sc name=”stopper” ]