Beach Slang showcases youthful punk rock on debut album

There is a plethora of modern punk rock bands with angsty, nostalgic angles, still reminiscing on their childhood and making music with sad wails and uninspiring guitar chords. The 1990s were fun and crazy for sure, but that mantra can get tiring. Beach Slang, a newly formed outfit from Philadelphia, Penn., is distinct in its ability to channel that youthful exuberance and nostalgia into really solid punk music.

Lead singer and guitarist James Alex brings a bit of a twist as well. At 40 years old, he's very much the elder member of the group and is recording his first release in nearly 15 years. He provides a mature perspective, but isn’t afraid to dial up the sound and yell about being “young and alive” and taking “not enough drugs” in some of the songs. Alex, along with the other three members of Beach Slang, brings a refreshing take on typical '90s-centric themes with their debut album, “The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel Like Us” (2015).

The album starts with “Throwaways,” in which Alex sings about kids who have a knack for throwing their lives away. Alex offers listeners an invitation to join him, yelling, “Are you in with me?” “Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas” has a similar chord progression to Interpol’s “PDA” (2002) and provides comparable feelings of eternal solitude and vitality. “Noisy Heaven,” with its addicting riff and oddly melodic vocals, shines as well. Beach Slang isn't afraid to reveal a piece of its past, and the band doesn't sacrifice its music or its integrity in the process.

In an interview with Music Times, Alex talked about his songwriting process with Beach Slang.

“We’re more of a punk band in ideology than sound. When I sit down to write a song, I really just try to write loud pop songs that have some sort of affecting, honest thing to them. I don’t sit down and go, ‘I’m going to write punk songs.’ I think like a punk. I enjoy that whole ‘be who you are, live what you want to live, just don’t hurt anybody’ aspect. Just be a good thing in the world, don’t judge -- all that really great stuff.”

Album highlight “I Break Guitars,” is successful because of its restraint: it’s not too vocal-centric, nor is it too focused on gargantuan build-ups and formulaic come-downs. It’s short, sweet and in your face, like much of the rest of “The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel Like Us.” The album clocks in at just under 30 minutes, and with 10 songs, Beach Slang gives listeners their weekly allowance money’s worth. “I can’t think with all this noise / I break guitars; I weight my voice” Alex sings, providing listeners with a taste of his ubiquitous debauchery.

Beach Slang is similar to Japandroids in its ability to create tightly knit jams that blossom in creative, energetic and hypnotizing ways. “Porno Love” is all about taking drugs and escaping the confining grip of the real world, while “Hard Luck Kid” is about the band coming to terms with their downtrodden, mischievous lifestyle. “Nothing really happens if you think it might / Nothing really changes when you change your mind / I try to shake it off, try to get alive / Really I’m okay, kinda getting by. I’m a hard luck kid, so why even try? / I’m a nowhere bum, I’m dumb, I don’t mind.” Beach Slang unlocks its box of childhood memories -- many of which listeners can relate to -- and asks the right rhetorical questions: Is it all worth it? Does it even matter?