Indie-rock band Beach Fossils is currently on their multi-city “Bunny” tour accompanied by opening band Turnover and special guest Sword II. The bands played a sold-out show at Metro in Chicago on Nov. 15.
Beach Fossils, based out of New York, consists of Dustin Payseur, vocalist/guitarist, Jack Doyle Smith, bassist, Tommy Davidson, guitarist and Anton Hochheim, drummer. After their multi-city USA tour, an upcoming tour in the United Kingdom and Europe is coming spring of 2024.
Beach Fossils opened with their song “Don’t Fade Away,” currently one of their most popular songs off of “Bunny.” This album is their most recent project since 2021. During their set, the lighting on stage changed with every song, matching each one’s style and sound. For “Don’t Fade Away,” they matched the lights on stage to Bunny’s color scheme, with alternating hues of blue and pink.
Payseur’s vocals are soft compared to the vibrant guitar they are known for, but not unclear. The members’ individual talents blended together on stage, amplifying the band’s obvious cohesion.
Since their album “Somersault” from 2017, the band had not released a completely new project until “Bunny.” “Bunny” is a marked album and tour for Beach Fossils, being able to perform some of their newer music since 2017.
Sleep Apnea, released on “Clash the Truth” (2013) is one of their slowest songs but also one of their most popular. They are known to typically cut the stage lights for the entire song and are continuing the tradition during this tour. Payseur asked the crowd to turn on their phone flashlights and audience members did not disappoint, filling the intimate venue with tiny white lights.
A lot of Beach Fossils’ music evokes a high-energy feel to it, but they also make music that is much more relaxed. Mixing the different sounds from their wide ranged discography of music throughout their set made for a much more interesting show, playing to their strengths with their different range of styles.
Sleep Apnea became one of their most popular tracks due to ever so rising internet fame, appealing to a younger age group, as the band frequently references coming-of-age subject matter in their music. Surprisingly, the crowd was diverse in age, ranging from young teenagers to older adults.
Compared to the band’s tour in 2021, the setlist was longer and the band spent more time on stage connecting with the crowd. Beach Fossils is known to tour with multiple opening bands, meaning they typically start at least two hours after doors open. However, during this tour the openers sets were both under an hour, meaning less waiting time for fans.
During their set, the band mostly played songs that rank highest among fans, but with a slightly different feel and sound. The songs played from the album, “Somersault,” were drawn out stylistically which brought out more of a shoegaze sound that can be heard in their previous album, “Clash the Truth.”
This was appreciated because it brought out a whole new listening experience for us while using songs that were still familiar. The way these tracks were performed are not readily available on streaming services, purely something that can only be appreciated live.
Bunny, arguably their most produced album, has a similar sound to “Somersault,” but the band’s adaptation to those songs gave the audience a more diverse listening experience. With such a wide discography, it wasn’t surprising that they included at least one track from most of their albums.
Towards the end of their set, Beach Fossils said the Metro felt iconic and legendary to them, with stars like Jeff Buckley and Metallica having performed there in past years. This statement stood true, because although the show was sold out in a big city such as Chicago, their show still delivered an intimate feeling.
This story was written by Sofía Cortés and Shannyn Donohue. They can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected].
