Amity Beach

Perhaps it’s been been a coincidence with regards to the recordings being reviewed on this blog during these summer months, but a lot of bands this year seem to be capitalizing on the idea of the “summer album.” To define what makes a summer album is a little tricky, but generally the album skews toward upbeat pop, infectious rhythms and choruses that can get stuck in your head.

Everything about Amity Beach and the album Bonfire Etiquette screams summer, from the names to the fact that the members hail from Grand Bend, Ont., a town whose population literally increases to 25 times its size during the summer months. Oh right, and then there’s also the music itself, which is feverishly upbeat indie pop filled to the top with synths, horns and glockenspiels over traditional keys, guitars and drums.

Geoff Baillie’s lead vocals perfectly suit the genre of music the band has chosen to play in; he comes off sort of like Luke Lalonde of Born Ruffians. He is also often supported vocally by guitarist/horn player Andrew Gill, as well as Anna Horvath on several tracks.

The 10 tracks that make up the album are fun without being too serious. The main indicator of the band’s fun side is undoubtedly their cover of Maxine Nightingale’s smash hit “Right Back Where We Started From,” stripped of its disco roots and filled with synths and guitars to make it sound like something that was just written this decade.

Many tracks on the album capitalize on attempting a knockout punch right at the beginning. “Autumn Skylight” does this with its full-frontal assault of synths and guitars, and while it does lose some steam in the slower parts of the songs, it always succeeds in picking the energy back up with its joyous choruses. The sunny guitar chords and percussive taps that open up “Sunday Nights to Infinity” also serve well in getting the listener moving.

“Avalanches” may be the best at doing this, with the swells of horns mimicking the tones of Baillie’s vocals. Then there’s the band’s blatant acknowledgement that they’ve created a summer album with “Hedonistic Summertime,” a song that almost mocks the conventional summer song with its uncharacteristic heaviness on guitar and shortest song length on the album.

Of course an album in which every song sounds the same doesn’t usually make for an enjoyable experience, so Amity Beach switches things up every once in a while. Fraser Moore’s bass gets some well-deserved breathing room. “Born in the Daylight” ends on an unusually soft note, taken out gently by keys and a cello. It’s the second half a slightly darker pair of songs that beings with “You Need To Learn How To Apologize.”

While the album is unlikely to teach listeners the etiquette required for actual bonfires, Bonfire Etiquette seems to be the ideal album for throwing a bonfire party.

Top Tracks: “Sunday Nights to Infinity”; “Avalanches”; “Born in the Daylight”

Rating: Strong Hoot (Good) - Grayowl Point

Perhaps it’s been been a coincidence with regards to the recordings being reviewed on this blog during these summer months, but a lot of bands this year seem to be capitalizing on the idea of the “summer album.” To define what makes a summer album is a little tricky, but generally the album skews toward upbeat pop, infectious rhythms and choruses that can get stuck in your head.

Everything about Amity Beach and the album Bonfire Etiquette screams summer, from the names to the fact that the members hail from Grand Bend, Ont., a town whose population literally increases to 25 times its size during the summer months. Oh right, and then there’s also the music itself, which is feverishly upbeat indie pop filled to the top with synths, horns and glockenspiels over traditional keys, guitars and drums.

Geoff Baillie’s lead vocals perfectly suit the genre of music the band has chosen to play in; he comes off sort of like Luke Lalonde of Born Ruffians. He is also often supported vocally by guitarist/horn player Andrew Gill, as well as Anna Horvath on several tracks.

The 10 tracks that make up the album are fun without being too serious. The main indicator of the band’s fun side is undoubtedly their cover of Maxine Nightingale’s smash hit “Right Back Where We Started From,” stripped of its disco roots and filled with synths and guitars to make it sound like something that was just written this decade.

Many tracks on the album capitalize on attempting a knockout punch right at the beginning. “Autumn Skylight” does this with its full-frontal assault of synths and guitars, and while it does lose some steam in the slower parts of the songs, it always succeeds in picking the energy back up with its joyous choruses. The sunny guitar chords and percussive taps that open up “Sunday Nights to Infinity” also serve well in getting the listener moving.

“Avalanches” may be the best at doing this, with the swells of horns mimicking the tones of Baillie’s vocals. Then there’s the band’s blatant acknowledgement that they’ve created a summer album with “Hedonistic Summertime,” a song that almost mocks the conventional summer song with its uncharacteristic heaviness on guitar and shortest song length on the album.

Of course an album in which every song sounds the same doesn’t usually make for an enjoyable experience, so Amity Beach switches things up every once in a while. Fraser Moore’s bass gets some well-deserved breathing room. “Born in the Daylight” ends on an unusually soft note, taken out gently by keys and a cello. It’s the second half a slightly darker pair of songs that beings with “You Need To Learn How To Apologize.”

While the album is unlikely to teach listeners the etiquette required for actual bonfires, Bonfire Etiquette seems to be the ideal album for throwing a bonfire party.

Top Tracks: “Sunday Nights to Infinity”; “Avalanches”; “Born in the Daylight”

Rating: Strong Hoot (Good) - Grayowl Point

We are proud to hold the world premiere of the latest double-sided single from Amity Beach, a band with a name that evokes one of the most famous tropes of summer - a marauding, homicidal shark set against the pragmatic and alarmist town sheriff. These are, after all, the two narrative thrusts of the season: societal moralisms in direct conflict with unrestrained id, anarchy at war with the social contract, a shark come to terrorize your town. Amity Beach manages to find a sweet medium here, structured pop constructions with nothing but brilliant carbonated chaos in the middle. On A-Side, "Sunday Nights to Infinity", Amity Beach finds itself at the intersection of slamming guitars and ebullient keys, a late-night anthem about backs pushed like bulwarks against mounting responsibilities. It is one part Surfer Blood, one part Fang Island - especially in the guitars in stomping second movement - like Los Campesinos, an attempt to sound like everything is happening all of the time. "Avalanches", the B-side, recalls Beulah, a horn-drenched summer jam engaged in perpetual lift-off. The band does nothing to declare a winner between these twin impulses to build and destroy, but instead of blindly rooting for the town, Amity Beach admits with two of the best songs of the summer that - just a little bit - we might be pulling for the shark too. - 32ft/second

We are proud to hold the world premiere of the latest double-sided single from Amity Beach, a band with a name that evokes one of the most famous tropes of summer - a marauding, homicidal shark set against the pragmatic and alarmist town sheriff. These are, after all, the two narrative thrusts of the season: societal moralisms in direct conflict with unrestrained id, anarchy at war with the social contract, a shark come to terrorize your town. Amity Beach manages to find a sweet medium here, structured pop constructions with nothing but brilliant carbonated chaos in the middle. On A-Side, "Sunday Nights to Infinity", Amity Beach finds itself at the intersection of slamming guitars and ebullient keys, a late-night anthem about backs pushed like bulwarks against mounting responsibilities. It is one part Surfer Blood, one part Fang Island - especially in the guitars in stomping second movement - like Los Campesinos, an attempt to sound like everything is happening all of the time. "Avalanches", the B-side, recalls Beulah, a horn-drenched summer jam engaged in perpetual lift-off. The band does nothing to declare a winner between these twin impulses to build and destroy, but instead of blindly rooting for the town, Amity Beach admits with two of the best songs of the summer that - just a little bit - we might be pulling for the shark too. - 32ft/second

Ah, summer. Such a friendly season, brimming with sunshine, positive vibes, and endless opportunities. It’s always heartening when a band manages to encompass that atmosphere in song. Here’s where Amity Beach comes in– an alternative, indie rock five-piece from Ontario that manages to put a lot of those great aspects of riot time into their melodies. They will definitely be another great addition to your feel-good summer playlist!

We had a chat with lead-singer and guitarist Geoff Baillie about the band, and found out they’re really hard working, fun people, who simply love what they do. Read on to find out more about Amity Beach, and their FOUR upcoming shows in Montreal!
- The Main Montreal

Ah, summer. Such a friendly season, brimming with sunshine, positive vibes, and endless opportunities. It’s always heartening when a band manages to encompass that atmosphere in song. Here’s where Amity Beach comes in– an alternative, indie rock five-piece from Ontario that manages to put a lot of those great aspects of riot time into their melodies. They will definitely be another great addition to your feel-good summer playlist!

We had a chat with lead-singer and guitarist Geoff Baillie about the band, and found out they’re really hard working, fun people, who simply love what they do. Read on to find out more about Amity Beach, and their FOUR upcoming shows in Montreal!
- The Main Montreal

Need a summery pick-me-up? Then vibe out to Ontario’s Amity Beach — a Canadian group of young’uns with the power to turn cloud walls into blue skies.

The band’s new single ‘Sunday Nights to Infinity’ fits right into the indie-pop landscape, somewhre between the anthemic choruses of Ra Ra Riot and Cape Cod yacht-rock of Vampire Weekend.

And fear not shark-ophobes: Amity Beach’s sandy stylings have nothing to do with the killing grounds of ‘Jaws.’ Instead, they embody a rather freshwater perspective on pop music, employing crystal clear vocals as beautiful as the shores of Northern Michigan.

The band’s debut album, ‘Bonfire Etiquette,’ is aptly titled, as this ragtag group of night jumpers sound like they’re bottling lightning bugs, dancing around campfires and soaking up the sun on the regular. It’s an interesting release coming from a band that hails from so far north. We guess that they just know how to channel the limited amount of warm weather they have.

‘Sunday Nights to Infinity’ is built around several intricate guitar licks, all woven together like a wicker picnic basket. So what are you waiting for? Open it up and enjoy a watermelon slice of music below. - Diffuser

Need a summery pick-me-up? Then vibe out to Ontario’s Amity Beach — a Canadian group of young’uns with the power to turn cloud walls into blue skies.

The band’s new single ‘Sunday Nights to Infinity’ fits right into the indie-pop landscape, somewhre between the anthemic choruses of Ra Ra Riot and Cape Cod yacht-rock of Vampire Weekend.

And fear not shark-ophobes: Amity Beach’s sandy stylings have nothing to do with the killing grounds of ‘Jaws.’ Instead, they embody a rather freshwater perspective on pop music, employing crystal clear vocals as beautiful as the shores of Northern Michigan.

The band’s debut album, ‘Bonfire Etiquette,’ is aptly titled, as this ragtag group of night jumpers sound like they’re bottling lightning bugs, dancing around campfires and soaking up the sun on the regular. It’s an interesting release coming from a band that hails from so far north. We guess that they just know how to channel the limited amount of warm weather they have.

‘Sunday Nights to Infinity’ is built around several intricate guitar licks, all woven together like a wicker picnic basket. So what are you waiting for? Open it up and enjoy a watermelon slice of music below. - Diffuser

I've never heard of any bands from Grand Bend, Ontario, but if they all sound like this, then there's something really happening on the shores of Lake Huron. Here are a couple of samples from their debut record, Bonfire Etiquette. - Alan Cross

"The Grand Bend, Ontario-based quintet's self-titled EP on Eternal Bummer delivers copious pop thrills on its recent single, wherein it festoons its own brand of quirk with sounds that fans of Tokyo Police Club will find pleasing. All three songs are strong (and apparently they have been repackaged with some compilation tracks into a weightier, six-song EP), but if we had to pick a winner from the surprisingly young act we'd finger "You'll Never Hear That Sound." The tune's first and final minute features a dizzying arrangement of synth and chime that sounds like a heavenly barrage of typewriter clatter, and bright horn arrangements adorn all three tracks." - Clicky Clicky Music Blog

"Ontario five piece Amity Beach make joyous indie pop music destined to soundtrack gloriously messy parties around the world. These are songs longing to be shouted back at the stereo, with a cold beer in one hand and that cute girl from math class tugging fervently on your wrist and heartstrings. Jake’s Version Of Paradise has to be the most ludicrously upbeat track of the year, one part Weezer, one part sugary sweet candyfloss. Oh, and did I mention, it has trumpets?!

Amity Beach are at their best when they just let it flow, such as on You’ll Never Hear That Sound, with it’s epic-pop roots, with lead singer Geoff Ballie proclaiming ‘all of the Pharaoh’s (?) that drowned in the river are waking up‘ with such delight that it’s impossible not to crack a smile." - Crack In The Road

"Ontario five piece Amity Beach make joyous indie pop music destined to soundtrack gloriously messy parties around the world. These are songs longing to be shouted back at the stereo, with a cold beer in one hand and that cute girl from math class tugging fervently on your wrist and heartstrings. Jake’s Version Of Paradise has to be the most ludicrously upbeat track of the year, one part Weezer, one part sugary sweet candyfloss. Oh, and did I mention, it has trumpets?!

Amity Beach are at their best when they just let it flow, such as on You’ll Never Hear That Sound, with it’s epic-pop roots, with lead singer Geoff Ballie proclaiming ‘all of the Pharaoh’s (?) that drowned in the river are waking up‘ with such delight that it’s impossible not to crack a smile." - Crack In The Road

"Amity Beach catches the summertime feel of new love/lust with the upbeat 'Jake's Version of Paradise', ups the beat count with the frantic 'A Little Tension', and strikes a humorous note with their ode that enduring teen ritual, 'Pizza Party'. Fun, catchy tunes that display a knack for clever songwriting" - Scene Magazine

"Amity Beach catches the summertime feel of new love/lust with the upbeat 'Jake's Version of Paradise', ups the beat count with the frantic 'A Little Tension', and strikes a humorous note with their ode that enduring teen ritual, 'Pizza Party'. Fun, catchy tunes that display a knack for clever songwriting" - Scene Magazine

“Grand Bend’s Amity Beach began the evening, a young group appropriately-named for their sound, one of surf influence and summery undertones. Notably talented with texture, the five-piece seemed very comfortable onstage, if somewhat inexperienced however, their energy and versatility made up for the fact.”
- London Community News