Punk is a misrepresented genre. The traditional imagery associated with punk consists of violent mosh pits, anarchy, blood, studded leather vests and crazy hair. This was true for the initial wave of punks and the hardcore scene, but modern punk is far different in sound and scope.
Sure, fast, distorted guitar riffs about partying and politics still reign, but the shock factor has long since worn off. Today, punk also focuses on creating a sanctuary for the misfits, the socially awkward and misguided to come together and realize that no one is alone in the universal struggle through adolescence and life.
With Friday’s release of The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us, Beach Slang has launched itself into the forefront of the genre. It echoes many familiar rock sentiments while remaining an engaging 27-minute blast of fun. It is the first full-length album from the Philadelphia foursome, led by youthful 41-year-old James Alex (guitar, vocals, songwriter), JP Flexner (drums), Ed McNulty (bass) and Ruben Gallego (guitar).
“Takeaways” begins the album with a jolt of energy and a Bruce Springsteen decree about the need to escape a “dead end town for trash like us, but I got a full tank and a couple bucks.”
The easiest description of Beach Slang’s sound is to imagine if the Japandroids’ “Fire’s Highway” combined with the Gaslight Anthem’s “The ‘59 Sound” and the Hold Steady’s “Stay Positive” to form high energy songs about finding your place in the world through music.
At times the lyrics straddle the line of over-earnest sentiment, until it becomes clear that Alex means every syllable he exerts. “Ride The Wild Haze,” the fastest track on the album, thunders into play with the line “I feel most alive when I’m listening to every record that hits harder than the pain.”
On first listen, it is almost cringe-worthy, but as the song progresses, the softness peaks out from behind the brazen wall of guitars: “I’ve never been alright, I’ve never been okay. I never cared if I was cool, fit in or anything… I’m kind of a misfit kid just floating in this daze.”
With tightly shut eyes and emotionally charged breaths that signify he has been waiting for years to get his message out, Alex creates a convincing ode to music through heart-on-the-sleeve rock, bleeding with Rivers Cuomo levels of honesty. Every song features inspirational quotes that could find a home on any refrigerator, while maintaining the razor sharp edge of a Rock and Roll manifesto.
The ethos of Beach Slang is exemplified in “I Break Guitars:”
“If rock and roll is dangerous, how come I feel so safe in it?… The night is young, the freaks are out. The wild hum of drugs and sound. The basement is alive and loud. We’re alright now.”
Few artists can convincingly pull off an emotional acoustic number surrounded by brash rockers, but Alex learned from the Replacements, who once managed to make “I’m In Trouble” [a brilliant punk song about, well, being in trouble] and “If Only You Were Lonely” [a faux Hank Williams ballad that is arguably one of Paul Westerberg’s greatest songwriting efforts], into a cohesive single. Beach Slang succeeds here by instilling the emotional depth the Replacements create on songs such as “Unsatisfied” and “Left Of The Dial.”
“The punks are wired and these records feel tough. It’s loud and wild, but I swear it feels soft,” Alex sings on “Too Late To Die Young.” The only acoustic song on The Things We Do is perfectly crafted with strings and occasional piano hits that supplement the sound instead of clouding the purity of the acoustic delivery.
The Things We Do flows immaculately. The final two tracks, “Hard Luck Kid” and “Dirty Luck” bleed together as if nothing more than a key change has occurred, providing an impressive conservation of momentum. “Porno Love” shows what Beach Slang is capable of accomplishing with one stanza of lyrics and a single guitar chord.
This is the type of album that could conceivably revive guitar rock, if it were to break out. “Bad Art And Weirdo Ideas” is about as perfect as a rock song can ever hope to be. It’s easy to sing along to, the guitar has the right level of reverb to feel like a summer anthem and it packs a message that needs to be taken to heart:
“We are not alone. We are not mistakes. Don’t whisper now, We’re allowed to be loud.”
Never forget that.
Follow Craig on Twitter: @wgwcraig

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‘The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us’ album cover.