Review: Magazine Beach – “Friendless Summer”

Self Released – 30 October 2020

Weezer-influenced emo-surfpop five-piece put forth an earnest effort on Friendless Summer EP

I really wanted to like this one, mostly because Magazine Beach named their latest EP as a nod to Beach Boys‘ famous greatest hits album (which is commonly mistaken to be a studio album) Endless Summer.  Endless Summer was the first album I owned as a kid on cassette tape (yes I predate the mass adoption of the CD), so I really wanted to enjoy the vibe that Magazine Beach was putting down. But found much of it to be a style and sound I had heard done several times before, and to better effect.  Magazine beach is a competent group of musicians, and the album has competent production, but it failed to grab me or really establish itself as anything compelling or new. 

Friendless Summer kicks off with the voice of a man (who sounds vaguely like George W. Bush) saying “Good morning, it’s August 21, 2020 and once again it’s a Friday.” I’m not sure what the introduction really adds to the proceedings- whether or not the date is significant, or just that the band is whimsical. It then launches into a quick minute-long song called “Bonejaw” where the Weezer influence hits you in the face like a baseball bat.  Essentially this album would be most appealing to anyone who enjoys Weezer but wishes they were a little more punk. 

The lyrical themes are very wistful and emo but not in a way that really stands out from the crowd.  The George W. Bush guy returns in the middle of the song “Twilight Baseball Scene” to abruptly interrupt the song and announce “I’m wearing dark glasses today because I’m seeing the future and it’s looking very bright,” which is a bit whimsical and funny, and also adds a nice change of pace (literally) to the song. 

The biggest missed opportunity is that the band seems to have recently added a female member, upping them from a four-piece to a five-piece band (from what little I can gleam from their very limited Internet presence), and she certainly seems to have a great singing voice, but is severely underutilized.  She comes in at the end of “I Don’t Care” and the EP’s title track for about 30 seconds of singing on her own, and otherwise gets buried in background and gang vocals.  Her appearance on the title track is probably the best moment on the EP, as the tempo abruptly slows down and for a brief, shining moment she takes over the vocals.  I’m not necessarily saying she should be the lead singer, but maybe more of an interplay between male and female vocals would add something unique to Magazine Beach’s sound that would have made this EP more distinctive. 

It’s far from impossible for Magazine Beach to improve on this album in the future.  The talent is there,  but I’m not sure that they’ve found the x-factor yet that’s going to make them unique enough to be recognized.  Besides the Weezer influence, there are similarities to Jagger Holly, which may be a sound that Magazine Beach are aiming for.  This band could be something really great, but they’ll need to capitalize on the few really good moments on this EP, and expand them into something that’s more distinctive and memorable. Considering the band is less than two years old, let’s hope they continue to grow, as they could have a bright future in front of them.