“Woken up and here I am…” Beach Fossils’ 2011 extended play What A Pleasure found singer and principle songwriter Dustin Payseur exploring slightly moodier territory than on their eponymous debut, more introspective with a delightfully melancholy array of guitar arpeggios seemingly plucked from the Felt songbook. The EP playfully balances dreamy, crystalline atmosphere with lo-fi textures; one song might feature clear and sparkling guitars with muddy vocals that sound like they’re (literally) phoned in, with the total inverse on the very next song. Wild Nothing hunk Jack Tatum shows up for indie dream duet “Out In The Way,” a high water mark for both artists to this day. At 8 tracks deep it’s practically an album (and with a runtime exceeding Kanye’s pathetic new standard); highlights include “What A Pleasure,” “Out In The Way,” “Calyer” (Greenpoint in the building!) and “Distance.” Limited edition yellow colored vinyl pressing with obi strip released on Payseur’s own Bayonet Records, this is the first pressing to include “Face It,” which was previously only available on a limited 7-inch in 2010 and features Payseur’s partner (and Bayonet co-founder) Katie Garcia on backing vocals. Recommended.

• clear yellow colored vinyl
• obi strip
• printed insert
• digital download included
• limited edition
• music label: Bayonet Records 2018

reviewed by tom violence 12/2018