Almost since Beach Slang came into being, bandleader James Alex has taken to performing his group’s heartfelt anthems as more intimate solo renditions.
Appropriately dubbed “Quiet Slang,” these alternate reality versions of Beach Slang’s music have now simultaneously been stripped down and fleshed out in the studio to include piano and cello. The result is a collection of songs that peel away the layers of reverb and distortion to lay bare their starkly honest and emotional cores.
I suppose we’re all chasing something that resembles salvation, something that calms our bones. Maybe this is some small slice of that. Maybe it’s not. Maybe it’s chaos in soft clothes. Maybe it’s frightened. Maybe it’s fearless. Maybe it’s both. Or maybe it’s nothing. I don’t know, but I think about this: one day I’m going to be dust. And when my soul splits, maybe this will be the thing that sneaks me through the gates. If not, well, those are the breaks.
James Alex [Quiet Slang]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5761zib9VM
Beach Slang’s We Were Babies & We Were Dirtbags [Quiet Slang] is out October 20th, 2017.
The Fat Angel Sings 