Kiwi power-pop connoisseurs Beachware have punched through surf-rock, indie and DIY stylings with their latest track Arcade. As the first single from their upcoming debut LP, the five-piece outfit have elevated their traditionally electro-fused sound toward the earthy-rock territory chartered by their Aussie peers.
At its core, Arcade poignantly captures the pain of watching a relationship crumble. However, its glossy hooks, shimmering riffs and a gut-punching bridge could fool any listener into believing that the song was traversing the complete opposite notion.
Surf-pop stylings balanced with a dizzying punch of pure indie-rock, three-part vocals and a music video that sends you on a quest to find the world’s greatest cocktail? Beachware’s latest single and music video does not pan out the way you would expect.
Founded by Rob Hartnell, Alexandra Selkirk-Hanna, Phoenix Guava, Julia Morris and James McDonald, Beachware leapt onto the New Zealand indie scene in 2017 with their debut surf-pop EP Twin Coast Disc Drive. Since releasing their smashing singles Want Somebody and Respite and winning RNZ’s 2019 Christmas song competition, the band have dedicated themselves to stretching the Beachware sound as far as it can go.
Recorded at Auckland’s Roundhead Studios, their latest single is a mastered slicing of this drive. Built upon their quintessential DIY-indie soul, the track flows with golden, summary notes at its beginnings, only to punch through with a hardened indie-rock bridge that adds an irresistible flavour to the entire track. These dizzying guitar riffs almost feel disconnected from the rest of the song, however, elevate the track into levels of sonic potential that only multi-genre collages can achieve.
Throughout, the listener is continually chasing to keep up with an energetic guitar line, double-time keys, three-part vocals and “the fastest arpeggiator setting” that the band could find. While this would be an exhausting ordeal in any other setting, the unexpected and exhilarating nature of Beachware’s stylings is utterly captivating.
The band released their music video for the track back at the beginning of April, and to say it elevates the track would be an understatement. The video is so divorced from any visual that you would expect to come out of this single that it strangely works.
An arthouse production of apathetic stares, red velvet parlour room glamour and a silent cinema-esque search for the world’s greatest cocktail. Trials, tribulations and an undeniable hyper-activity is ultimately the common denominator between both works. However, Arcade’s visualisation reaches for the furthest possible corner of narrative to explore, quite literally too.
Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days teamed up with the New Zealand bartender awards, sending the band on a journey to find the Demi-god of all cocktails. Spoiler alert! It’s spewed out from a Medusa’s head shaped flask.
Arcade is a radiant sensation, showcasing Beachware’s aptitude for motif, thematic melodies and hyper-literature narratives. An enthralling precursor for what is to come from the band.
“[Arcade is] about being mature and knowing it’s not one person to blame,” the band stated about the release. “Maybe it’s the other person who’s really at fault?! Nothing seems straightforward when love is involved, and sometimes the search for it can take a few turns.”
