Beach Day, where else but the beach. Left to right, Natalie, Skyler, and Kimmy. {Photo credit: Christina Mendenhall}
Anybody who claims that time travel does not exist, has never listened to Beach Day.
Okay so they can’t actually time travel. But they can do time travel in the form of eleven lines on a .
Beach Day’s Debut LP Trip Trap Attack released June 18th on Kanine Records may as well be a DeLorean to a 1950s beach boardwalk. Picture cotton candy in paper cones, hot-dog eating contests, and women sporting one-piece swim suits on a bright summer day, then think the vintage folk of Melanie, the experimentalism of The Beach Boys, and the new wave rock of The B-52s meets modern-day indie bands like Cults and Best Coast. The album’s sound is reminiscent of Best Coast’s early lo-fi days, but simultaneously gives off a perfectly polished feel.
Responsible for this throwback sound are Kimmy Drake, Natalie Smallish, and Skyler Black of Hollywood, Florida. And after obsessing over Trip Trap Attack for a few weeks now, I was lucky enough to catch up with vocalist and guitarist, Kimmy. Let’s just say we had a lot to talk about…
What brought the three of you together to form Beach Day?
We all met on the same night! The stars aligned!
Your music is perfect for a day at the beach, is that what inspired the name for your band or were there other factors involved?
What is more escapist than a beach day? A place where you watch waves, swim, suntan & forget about everything else. That very much sums up how this band started. Playing together was very much a form of escapism in itself. The fact that we live 2 minutes from the beach and live in a small 50′s beach town has a lot to do with it. A beach is also a place of healing.
What’s the dynamic like in the band, how do your personalities mesh together?
When we’re playing music we are perfectly in sync. We all love a good adventure, so touring is a blast for us! Skyler is very specific on the road. He’ll only have coffee at Starbucks! I’m a lot less picky, even though I’m vegan. Nat is pretty easy going!
What kind of message do you hope to send listeners through your music?
I guess the message would be…it’s all going to be okay. Life is what you make it! Make it a party and not a downer fest.
I can hear a lot of different influences in your music. What bands do you listen to and who do you draw inspiration from?
Right now I’m really into Foxygen and Allah La’s. Stuff I’ll always be into are The Black Lips, Nuggets, The Yardbirds, Mooney Suzuki, BRMC, the Shangri-Las, Phil Spector, The Rolling Stones, The Supremes
When you’re not busy with the band, what do each of you do in your free time?
I like to play fantasy video games (RPG’s), ride bikes, go to the beach, dance, go see other bands, check out new selections at the record store, collect cool objects! Skyler like to read, play old school rpg’s, ride bikes, beach. Nat likes to party!
What has been your favorite part of your tour so far?
My favorite part of our last tour was playing at NXNE in Toronto! I just love that city. There’s so much stuff to do there & so many different areas.
I read your “Chain Letter” interview in Impose Magazine, so I wanted to ask you guys one of the questions you asked the band that followed you in the chain. If zombies attacked you, what weapon would you choose?
I would choose a machine gun.
And last but not least, describe your perfect beach day.
It would start like around 3:30. Calm water, empty beach, my ipod, my buddies & lots of swimming! Dolphins would swim in and say hi! That sounds magical!
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I have to agree with Kimmy, her perfect beach day sounds beyond magical. Trip Trap Attack, just as Kimmy seems, is so full of life and so much fun. Certainly the perfect soundtrack to this summer, and many summers to come.
Until a beach day comes my way, I’ll be popping this CD in my DeLorean and traveling back to 1950s Hollywood, FL for some cotton candy at the beach with my friends. I suggest you do the same. Hip beach-goers, everywhere, take note.
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