''Clash the Truth'' is the second studio album by American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band

Beach Fossils Beach Fossils is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2009. They are currently signed to Bayonet Records, having previously been signed to indie label Captured Tracks. The group's live band currently includes founder D ...

. The album was produced by Ben Greenberg (formerly of The Men) as well as band frontman and primary songwriter Dustin Payseur. It was released on February 19, 2013, through

Captured Tracks Captured Tracks is an American independent record label based in Brooklyn, New York. The label was founded in 2008 by Mike Sniper. About Current flagship artists include: Craft Spells, DIIV and Wild Nothing. Captured Tracks has reissued reco ...

Recording

Dustin Payseur wrote and recorded a demo of the entire album in his apartment in New York before recording it professionally in a studio. The recording of ''Clash the Truth'' was finished at the Excello Recording studio in the fall of 2012. Recording was briefly interrupted when Payseur's studio was flooded during

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...

. ''Clash the Truth'' featured new drummer Tommy Gardner, who allowed for a faster, more energetic sound than in previous releases. It also features collaborations with

Kazu Makino Blonde Redhead is an American alternative rock band composed of Kazu Makino (vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar) and identical twin brothers Simone (drums, keyboards) and Amedeo Pace (lead guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals) that formed in New York ...

Blonde Redhead Blonde Redhead is an American alternative rock band composed of Kazu Makino (vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar) and identical twin brothers Simone (drums, keyboards) and Amedeo Pace (lead guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals) that formed in New York ...

and Jack Tatum of

Wild Nothing Wild Nothing is the indie rock project of American multi-instrumentalist Jack Tatum, formed in 2009 in Blacksburg, Virginia. In the recording studio, Tatum writes, records and performs the project's music. As a touring act, Wild Nothing perform ...

Cover artwork

The artwork used for ''Clash the Truth,'' designed by

founder Mike Sniper and Dustin Payseur, features black and white stills taken from the experimental video ''Three Transitions'' (1973) directed by

Peter Campus Peter Campus (born 1937 in New York, NY), often styled as peter campus, is an American artist and a pioneer of new media and video art, known for his interactive video installations, single-channel video works, and photography. His work is held i ...

Reception

''Clash the Truth'' received mostly positive reviews from critics, some noting the more focused themes of adolescence and nostalgia as a sign of growth and maturity while continuing to refine their sound and style. In a lukewarm review for ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'', Ian Cohen wrote that "The New York City dream pop band's second album sees them introduce a darker, more socially aware edge, though it trades their former instrumental rigidity for amiable, mid-fi

college rock College rock is rock music played on student-run university and college campus radio stations located in the United States and Canada in the 1980s and 1990s. The stations' playlists were often created by students who avoided the mainstream rock p ...

jangle Jangle or jingle-jangle is a sound typically characterized by undistorted, treble-heavy electric guitars (particularly 12-strings) played in a droning chordal style (by strumming or arpeggiating). The sound is mainly associated with pop m ...

." Writing for ''

Consequence Consequence may refer to: Philosophy, science and social sciences * Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment'' * Consequent, in logic, the second half of a hypothetical proposition or consequences * Consequent ...

'', reviewer Paula Mejia rated the album a C+, stating that "Beach Fossils’ Dustin Payseur strays from the syrupy reverb typically dominating Beach Fossils’ breezy aesthetic, trading it in for torrential guitars and thrashing drums on his band's restless sophomore release." She continued with "With ''Clash the Truth'', Beach Fossils are driving away from the blinding sunlight and toward a shadowed elsewhere. What matters is that their eyes are trained forward." In a similar review, ''

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...

'' writer Ryan Foley commented on their production and songwriting by writing "''Clash The Truth'' follows that 'Beach Fossils' template to a tee. What separates the album from previous releases is its robust sound." while also commending this approach by writing "It's like Payseur went from doodling on Post-it notes to emblazoning missiles across the sky... In 'Careless' and 'Crashed Out', nervy, guitar jangle and punchy percussion come together in breakneck instrumental outros unlike anything Payseur has recorded previously. The songs do more than simply breathe new life into guitar pop – they snatch its breath away."

Track listing

Personnel

Source: * Dustin Payseur - vocals, guitar, bass, production, art direction * Tommy Gardner - drums, additional guitar and Wurlitzer on "Sleep Apnea" * Ben Greenberg - production, mixing, additional guitar on "Ascension" *

- additional vocals on "In Vertigo" * Katie Garcia - additional vocals on "Caustic Cross" * Joe Lambert - mastering *

- artwork images * Mike Sniper - art direction * Ryan McCardle - design and layout

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clash the Truth 2013 albums Captured Tracks albums Beach Fossils albums