Beach Fossils formed in Brooklyn in 2009 around Dustin Payseur, turning jangly dream pop into a signature sound on Captured Tracks and later their own Bayonet label. Clash the Truth (2013) and Somersault (2017) are the go-to starting points; the lo-fi self-titled debut rewards a deeper dig. Find Beach Fossils vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Beach Fossils formed in Brooklyn in 2009 as the solo project of Dustin Payseur, who originally moved to New York from North Carolina. The project expanded to a band lineup that has gone through various configurations. Beach Fossils signed with Captured Tracks for their self-titled 2010 debut, with the lineup over time settling into the trio of Payseur, Jack Doyle Smith, and Tommy Davidson. Payseur and Smith founded the Bayonet Records label in 2015, which now distributes Beach Fossils alongside other releases.
Beach Fossils' sound combines indie rock, dream pop, jangle pop, and shoegaze with chiming guitar tones, mid-tempo grooves, and Payseur's understated vocal delivery. Their work draws on 1980s indie pop traditions (Felt, the Smiths) alongside late-2000s lo-fi indie influences.
Captured Tracks pressings of the early Beach Fossils catalog and Bayonet Records pressings of the later albums have been issued in multiple color variants and limited editions. The self-titled debut has appeared in 10th anniversary editions.
Listeners new to Beach Fossils typically start with Clash the Truth (2013) or Somersault (2017). The self-titled debut (2010) is a common entry point for their earlier lo-fi material.
