BEACH BABY release debut album No Mind No Money.

Words: Aurora Henni Krogh

We’ve barely left August, still I already miss the sunny days of summer. Luckily, Beach Baby are finally set to release their highly anticipated debut album, No Mind No Money, and surely it is a record much needed as we head into darker and gloomier days.

With dreamy synth hooks tangled in with catchy guitars and bass-lines for days, Beach Baby may come off as ‘just another indie band’, yet so they manage to overcome this obstacle and prove they’ve got much more to offer.

Already claimed as “One of the best new bands in Britain” by Sunday Times Breaking Act, the expectations aren’t exactly low. Even under that pressure the London four-piece have created a tightly-sealed, vaguely surreal world of their own on No Mind No Money.

The opening track, Limousine, features a pretty funky bass line, exciting enough to build the anticipation for what’s more to come. The co-vocal effort in the courtesy of Ollie and Lawrence elaborates the lyrical content, making you soak up every little twist of the words.

“I had no mind, no money, I had no mind, no money, but who cares”. The title-track sums up this record brilliantly as it fuels on equal parts of the escapism and apathy, longing for something else, whilst still capturing youthful bliss and playful daze.

Having reflected on completing their debut album, Beach Baby commented:

We hope that it manages to be both playful and sincere. Often the lightness of some of the melodies and harmonies belie some slightly murkier lyrical sketches. But to us, the record feels like a collection of narratives which explore common themes of loneliness and malaise, ecstasy and ego.

Previously released tracks, such as Sleeperhead, re-surface on the album reminding me that a lot of Beach Baby’s material initially is just a great sing-along after a couple of listens. They are best at their more up-beat tracks, which is where Beach Baby come closest to their full potential.

Being compared to acts such as Mac DeMarco, Ariel Pink, and the early material of the AUS-via-UK group Splashh, Beach Baby surely are not in the worst company. DIY featured them in their Hello 2016 and turns out they weren’t all that wrong.

The sparkling synths and indie guitar hooks pattern together gorgeously one of the more outstanding tracks, U R. On the other hand, Smoke Won’t Get Me High is one of the slower tunes on the album and it features a brilliant guitar-based bridge. It’s also considerably darker, and with dragged out lyrical lines it comes across more intense than the rest of the tracks.

No Mind No Money finishes off with a heartbreak song, How Lucky You Are. The album calms down and comes to a natural end, as this also themes the final tune.

As a whole the album can appear a little bit monochrome at times. Beach Baby have a certain sound, yet fail to keep this fresh through all No Mind No Money’s eleven tracks. As good as it is, there is still a room for development and progression for the London four-piece.

No Mind No Money is by all means an honest record. It cleverly touches upon the eternal theme of coming of age, wrapping this up in infinite bass, teasing guitar hooks and those sparkles of synths. Over all a well-done debut.

Beach Baby have also confirmed an extensive world tour, supporting Beaty Heart around the US in September before playing their own series of headline dates across Europe, including an album launch show at London’s Scala on September 9th as a part of their UK tour.

No Mind No Money has been 3.5 years in the making and it is finally out on September 2nd via Island Records.