Brooklyn indie-pop band perform at Mondavi
ASUCD Entertainment Council hosted Beach Fossils on Feb. 22 at the Mondavi Center. “Petrichor,” the title of the event, describes the pleasant smell from rain after a long period of drought. Beach Fossils as well as the opening act, Urbanation, performed with a softness of falling water — a tasteful portrayal of the event theme.
Opening act Urbanation’s lead singer Bianca Ocampo is a student at UC Davis. They shared a song called “Transparency,” a reflection of the stress many students face in school. The song is expected to be released later this year with an accompanying album. The trance-like harmonizing of the song has a lightness that blends Ocampo and the instrumental to create the feeling of losing all awareness while focusing on schoolwork in a busy coffee shop.
Beach Fossils’ stage presence is that of the guy-friend that your mother doesn’t need to worry about. They were having fun in an environment they made clear was unfamiliar to them. The band prided themselves on using school jargon in between songs by inserting one-liners like “class is in session” and “welcome to lecture” — a dose of wit that gave a glimpse into the band’s personality.
Lead singer Dustin Payseur commented on the setting, “For a seated theater, y’all are f***ing crushing it.” The aisles quickly filled and people moved to the front of the stage. He seemed to know just which lever to pull that would release the crowd from their midterm worries.
It was easy to fall into the mellowness of the vocals, but one was quickly lifted by the build up served by the guitar. It was difficult at times to hear the lyrics, as if the words dissolved in water before one could read them, but that became the motivation to pay attention to the groove that attracts people to their sound.
Each song gave the same high and steady energy all the way through, which helped blur time as someone in the audience. At times, I caught myself drifting off into the deep bass, then to soft guitar strokes and finally to the drifting lyrics that felt like traveling fog.
It happened to be drummer Anton Hochheim’s birthday, and everyone in the audience, including the band, sang to him to wish him a happy birthday — yet another glimpse into the group’s personality.
The set concluded with a cover of “Wonderwall” by Oasis. Beach Fossils’ discography is available for streaming on all platforms.
Written by: Josh Madrid — arts@theaggie.org
