Hailing from Redland Bay, Beddy Rays are a quintet who’ve absorbed their sun-kissed surroundings, and reassembled them in a spiky, surf-inspired sound. After rattling ‘round their native Queensland for several years, the band are ready to share their wares with the world and their debut album, Beddy Rays, comes fully armed and ready for action.
Attesting to the urgency that seeps through every note of Beddy Rays, opening shot ‘Wait A While’ wastes not a single second, and the band get straight down to business. Exploding in golden rays of effervescence, Beddy Rays’ unique garage/surf mash up comes marinated in melody. It’s both discordant, yet tuneful, tight but loose, angular and curvy, and it is all these opposites rolled into a cohesive whole, that make Beddy Rays such an intriguing prospect. Without missing a beat ‘Week On Repeat’ tumbles from my speakers and, with an irresistible swing, features a nifty harmonica solo (where the hell did that come from?) and a huge, anthemic chorus that’s sure to transfer well to the live environment.
With their energy levels amped up to 11, Beddy Rays deliver an amphetamine-fuelled album, and it’s impossible not to get caught up in their joie de vivre. Even when the lyrics take a darker turn, as with ‘On My Own’, the band sugar the pill with an upbeat melody (those tension of opposites again). What I like most about this record is its no-frills aesthetic; there’s no extraneous bells and whistles, the band don’t use two chords when one will suffice, and everything is distilled into a honed laser beam. But that doesn’t mean Beddy Rays are one-dimensional, far from it, the acoustic ‘Brin’s Song’ nestles next to the riotous ‘Sobercoaster’, and they make for easy bedfellows.
As we reach an age where it’s hard to find truly original bands, Beddy Rays may be the last of a dying breed. While classic garage and indie bands were pivotal in the formation of their style, they don’t actually sound like anyone else. However, if you are in need of a point of reference, I’d draw a loose comparison with South Korea’s Say Sue Me. Beddy Rays are strangely familiar, and the urge to start a mosh pit in your bedroom as the bassline to ‘Ashtray’ rumbles along is hard to resist. Whether surfing, skating or moshing is your thing, then Beddy Rays will make the perfect accompaniment. This album is a life-affirming statement that should shake anybody from sullen slumber. There’s something about this album that makes you move; a strange electrical current that’ll have all but the frail and infirm up and grooving.
“Soundtrack to the Summer” is the highest accolade you can bestow on a piece of music, and it’s a crown that Beddy Rays can wear with pride. But remember: Beddy Rays are for life (not just for summer).
- Reviewed by Peter Dennis.
- Beddy Rays is released on 29th July 2022.
- Official Website
Track List:
- Wait A While
- Week On Repeat
- FOTU
- On My Own
- Sort It Out
- Handful
- Brin’s Song
- Sobercoaster
- Milk
- Ashtray
- Feels Nice
- Coffee Stops
- Easy Man
- Good With The Bad
