Beach Royals - Trap Door Music - EP

3Beach Royals

Trap Door Music - EP
self-released; 2016

​3.8 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Beach Royals are four friends who met at university and released a four-song EP entitled Trap Door Music. The band bonded over their love of bands like R.E.M. and The Smiths and I think you can lightly hear those influences  on the EP. 

The songwriting is consistently good and the band is tight and in the pocket. It should also be noted the band has two lead singers and I can hear why. I thought both sounded great. The band display some of their skills on the first song “Beach Fatigue.” The song is covered in maybe a little too much reverb from head to toe but that’s arguable.

Either way the song is catchy and pop oriented. I was humming along to the chorus after the second time I heard it. The band also excels at making notable transitions. Take for instance the transition after the chorus where the guitars are jagged and the song displays a distinctly different melody. 

“Fairweather” is where you could hear some of that influence from The Smiths. The vocals are upfront and prominent on this track as they should be because those melodies carry the song. “Fairweather” is more of a ballad with a little less energy than “Beach Fatigue” but possibly more emotionally resonant. At the very least the song is a little more reflective and melancholy.

“Getting There” brings up the energy and this time I felt a bit more of a dance vibe. The song is one I could see being a fan favorite. It’s dynamic and simply put a fun song. They close with “Berlin (The Finer Things in Life).” I thought the production in this song in particular sounded great. The guitar were clean with the perfect amount of reverb. There was a lot of clarity and you can hear the palatable melodies with ease.

The band went four for four with these songs. I can’t say they are pushing boundaries or getting into new musical territory but I thought they did have a pretty distinct sound which I think is  advantageous.

I would keep your tabs on Beach Royals and highly doubt this is their last release.

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