Dream pop staple Beach Fossils hypnotized the audience November 17th at a Paper Tiger show in San Antonio, TX. Preceded by three openers, including Red Pears and Floats, the Brooklyn quartet lazily took the stage and, thanks to several technical difficulties, fumbled out a number of their biggest hits. Donned in cowboy garb, the group thanked their Texas crowd for a warm welcome and showed appreciation to their fans for always being energetic whenever they find themselves in that neck of the woods. They also took the opportunity to thank their bartender, who was front and center in the audience, for treating them to perhaps a few too many treats at their Tiki Bar. "If we're drunk, blame it on her," exclaimed frontman Dustin Payseur, and inebriated they were. Even accounting for their signature wispy vocals, Payseur was difficult to hear over badly mixed sound levels and a rambunctious crowd who had eagerly waited hours to see them. It wasn't until their fifth track "Sugar" that the band was finally able to get a grip on their groove, tumbling into an overall enjoyable experience for the rest of the night. Ripping out jams like "Down the Line", "Sleep Apnea" and "What a Pleasure", it was hard to stay mad at the dreamy boys after an admittedly sloppy first half of the show. They took it another step on their encore, during which they toned down the stage lighting, adding a mellow note with "May 1st" before kicking it back into high gear to end the night. Despite an unfortunate first half, Beach Fossils exhibited their worth as a generation defining sound as they have time and again, a statement backed by the audience's explosive excitement when the band announced they had just finished recording their fifth studio album (including their repertoire of piano ballads released last year). Unfortunately, no new songs off that album were heard that night, but with nearly six years since their last fully original LP, we're sure to hear new singles soon. Overall, Beach Fossils was a great experience and, while my highlight of the night was Red Pears howling out "Moonlight", they still landed a solid gig worthy of catching the next time they find themselves in your town.
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