There are an awful lot of bands with the word ‘beach’ in their name these days – Beach House, Dirty Beaches, Beaches to name a few – but if you haven’t wrapped your ears around Beach Fossils’ music, it’s about time you get acquainted, stat.

The lads hail from Brooklyn, New York, and write the kind of fuzzy, dreamy garage tunes that make us wish the summer would hurry up and arrive already. Geez. If you like what you hear, they’re also Australia bound for the very first time this month, playing shows in Sydney, Melbourne and at Brisbane Festival. To help you get to know them better, we’ve grilled frontman Dustin Payseur about some of the things that make him jump with joy.



MY FAVOURITE THINGS

Season?
Autumn. Something feels naturally introspective about the fall. It’s overcast and everyone is quiet and mentally drained, all to themselves in their own heads. I always feel creatively charged and get a lot of work done.

Job you had before music?
I worked at a smoke shop and was the only employee who wasn’t a stoner. I got fired for being lazy.

Gig you’ve played?
I was actually thinking about this last night as I was falling asleep. All of the shows we played before anybody knew who we were. Those were so fun. Before there was a record out and we just toured around with friends playing small DIY venues and house parties. Having no idea what’s going to happen next. I had just quit my job, so being on tour felt like taking a sick day from work, except it was indefinite how long I would be gone for and I was finally free to play music in a new town every day.

Non-alcoholic drink?
Iced white tea.

Joke?
Me thinking that my band will ever show up somewhere on time.

Fan moment to date?
Every time I meet a fan it’s the best moment. I’ve been mostly private with my music, and still am… recording albums at home and never showing them off. I never even thought I would have any fans. A lot of these kids just feel like nobody understands them and they want somebody to talk to who they can relate to. I’ve always looked for a piece of my own sanity and stability in the creations of artists I look up to. So when somebody tells me how they feel some sort of connection from the music, that’s great.

Author?
Lao Tzu, Jacques Prevert, Pablo Neruda, Rumi.

Way to wind down on the road?
Watching anything by Hanna Barbera. I own a bunch of the collections on DVD and fry my computer out on them in the van.

Place to grab a drink in Brooklyn?
My house.

Track on Clash the Truth?
“Sleep Apnea”. I don’t know if anybody listens to a word that I sing, but I wrote that song a day before I had a panic attack, right on the verge of exploding and it felt great to get those thoughts out. I felt so rejuvenated after it all.

We have three double passes to give away to see Beach Fossils play the Spiegeltent on September 19th. To enter, just shoot us an email here with your name and address, and tell us your favourite Beach Fossils track.