Beachy Head
Album: Beachy Head
Release Date: 2021
England
Members of The Flaming Lips, Slowdive, Casket Girls, and The Soft Cavalry have linked up to form a new supergroup called Beachy Head. They’ve announced their self-titled debut album, which is set for release on April 30th, and shared a new single called “Destroy Us.”
The band revealed on Bandcamp that Slowdive’s Christian Savill began making demos back in 2019, and then sent them to The Casket Girls and Dreamend’s Graveface and The Soft Cavalry’s Steve Clarke. Graveface and Savill then recorded instrumental structures for the tracks just two weeks before the COVID-19 lockdown. [More on Indie88]
We’ve seen many project bands in music history that have left a mark and Beachy Head will surely make it into that elite group. What is the explanation of that perfection in mixing all these different sounds and influences?
Not sure we’ll make any elite groups, but thank you for the kind words. We certainly didn’t achieve perfection, but from my point of view, I started writing sketchy songs after a painful (for me) breakup with no plan. Ryan and Steve are great at taking these very fragile skeletons and bringing them to life. Getting friends Matt, Rachel and James involved was also important to the record. It’s hard to talk about influences cos talking about yourself in the same breath as supremely talented artists is just embarrassing.
BH apparently consists of great musicians with lots of talent and experience. Starting from the project’s name to the lyrics, what are some messages you are willing to share with your listeners as Beachy Head? In other words, what does BH want to talk about in these crazy times?
Beachy Head is one of my favourite places in the UK. It’s really beautiful and dramatic, but it’s also one of the most notorious suicide spots in the world. So it’s a weird uncomfortable kind of mix. It’s also the title of an awesome eerie instrumental by Throbbing Gristle. So all that kinds of appeals. I can’t really say anything about these crazy times. Everyone knows it’s shit and really difficult. I was already living like there was a lockdown before the pandemic. I’d become a bit of a hermit. I just made the songs for myself during this time and didn’t give any thought that someone else might ever hear them. Maybe that’s a bad thing, but at least there’s honesty in the words, even if I should’ve discovered my internal edit button at times.
Christian Savill 
Ryan Graveface 
Rachel Goswell & Steve Clarke
(Also in The Soft Cavalry)
We’re so delighted to list Destroy Us under our loop-songs series. Will you please tell us about how this track came together?
Ryan & I had been sending a few ideas back and forth and decided the best plan was for me to fly over to Savannah where he lives to record together. We set up in a friend’s bedroom and I’d just play Ryan some ideas and he’d say, “What else you got?” Ryan liked the chorus to Destroy Us, but there wasn’t much structure and it sounded a bit weird on guitar. Ryan got a big fat analogue synth going and it was transformed. I wanted the ending to sound bleak and wintery. My vocals were done back in the UK. Steve and Rachel’s vocals then added so much colour to it. They are so great at harmonies that I could never possibly imagine let alone sing.
Destroy Us will be the closer for the upcoming album. What else is waiting for us until we get to the 8th track? Do you think it sets the tone for the rest of the album?
Well, it’s definitely not an uplifting party album. The same melancholic theme runs through. We did try to make the songs vaguely melodic.
Beachy Head, East Sussex, England
In an ideal world where quarantine is over, would you be considering playing live as Beachy Head? Also, are you going to be making any videos?
If someone wanted us to play live and it was allowed, then yes. At our level and with the current situation, it’s impossible to plan anything. We do plan on releasing some videos though. We have talented friends creating them right now.
Are you all going to be making more music under Beachy Head? What are your goals for Beachy Head?
We’re already thinking about another record. We’ve got some ideas. I’ve been making songs for bloody years. That will keep happening even if no one hears ever them. That’s how it’s been most of the time and I’m not claiming it deserves to be any different. My goal for Beachy Head or any music project is to write a song or hopefully an entire record that after it’s finished I still like and hopefully other people too.
Lyrics: Destroy Us
Tracklist: Beachy Head
1. “Warning Bell”
2. “Michael”
3. “Distraction”
4. “All Gone”
5. “Looking for Exits”
6. “October“
7. “Hiddensee“
8. “Destroy House“
