Chicago’s Own: Dancepunks, BEASTII, Release First New Album In 7 Years

Sep 04, 2024 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

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By Kyle Decker

Some scholars of popular culture have written about “The 20-Year Rule,” which suggests exactly what it sounds like it suggests. That styles of fashion and music tend to return in twenty-year cycles. I don’t see this as problematic, myself. It makes a lot of sense when you think about it. We enjoy things in our youth and fifteen to twenty-five years later, we become old enough, mature enough, and artistically honed enough to make things ourselves. Naturally, we’re going to be influenced by the things we’ve enjoyed our whole lives.

Twenty years ago there was a post-punk revival going on. Think The Strokes, Bloc Party, or Franz Ferdinand, to name a few. Other bands took influences from 90s techno. Le Tigre, The Rapture, The Faint, Death From Above 1979… the list goes on (and should include Ireland’s The Chalets, who were underrated). All of this, and more, fell under the umbrella that would come to be known as dance-punk. Punk rock in its attitude and song structure, yet danceable in more ways than the slamming variety. 

For me, this was college. And dance-punk was “my shit.” I’d walk to parties, smoking Lucky Strikes while strutting to “Take Me Out,” make a complete ass of myself while drunkenly dancing to “Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks,” and finally stumble home alone and broken-hearted to “This Modern Love”.

            Y’know…. college.

            And because time’s arrow neither stands still nor reverses, it’s dance-punk’s turn for a revival.

Enter BEASTII. Founded in Chicago in 2016 by author and Swimsuit Addition alum Jen Dot (otherwise known as Jen B. Larson) as a lo-fi, darkwave, bedroom pop band. After recording some tracks and having Chris Lee master them, they started to get offers for shows and evolved into a four-piece. They eventually released their first LP, Can’t Wait, in 2017. Of course, the pandemic screwed things up for everybody. But all things pass and Larson and Lee got back to work with a new lineup, reforming as a five-piece. And on September 6th they shall unleash their follow-up which is called, well, Follower.

When I got an email requesting a review of Follower I was stoked. Not just because I was familiar with Larson’s work as an author (her book Hit Girls: Women of Punk in the USA 1975-1983 is required reading for anyone who wants to learn about women’s involvement in punk-rock beyond the obvious names), but because the email had “Chicago” and “dance-punk” in the subject heading. Both of those things are right where I live.

 Let me tell you when I punched in the promotional code for the advanced listening files, I time-traveled.

 Follower is a great album title. It’s a word that contains a smorgasbord of connotations. Especially in the era of social media and the new circle of our capitalist hellscape it helped form. The songs take on the perspectives of both followers and followed. We are all “followers” in at least one of the many senses of the word. Whether we follow a person, belief, or ideal, or merely paths to or away from things both good and evil. Or even looking at what came before and paying respect or giving it the middle finger. And like the Pac-Man-inspired art suggests, we can chase and be chased. It also helps the Chicago cred that Brian Fox, a protege of the late great Steve Albini, mastered the album.

The band also draws some clear inspiration from 60’s garage rock, which is very apparent in the guitar riffs of opener “Justine.” The crunchy groove would get the Davies brothers to give a respectful nod. The playful synths give the song fun energy, and its lyrics about a woman who is cool, assured, and maybe a little dangerous give off Bikini Kill vibes in the best ways.

 As with any well-thought-out track order, track two brings the energy up a notch. “The Limit” gives off the type of frustrated defiance one might feel on a Friday night after a shitty work week. It’s got a great shout-along hook with “We live at the limit” and is definitely the type of song that would be great to dance off some nervous energy. It’s pure catharsis.

 “Cosmic Bummer” shows off BEASTII’s surf rock influences in the dreamy warbbling bass distortions. It’s slower-paced than the first two tracks. It’s a strutter. Something that might be the soundtrack to walking down the street. And given its lyrics about being a “throwaway lover” and a “notch in your belt,” that walk might just be the walk of shame.

The surf-rock side of the band continues with “Spilt Milk”. It’s apparent from the jump. The riff between verses reminded me more than a little of Black Lips, who were equally inspired by tunes from the 1960s. Lines like “To me it’s nothing to cry about/Let me spill the milk/Then we’ll see you dry your eyes out” go right along with one of the album’s themes of leaving shit in the past and moving on.

The band’s bio also mentions that the band had origins in a darkwave sound. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the song “Evil Eye.” It’s gothy as hell.

“Double-Sided Cigarette” is where the album slows down a bit. Not “slows down” in a bad way. “Slows down” in the sense it becomes a little more low-key. It has a sadness to it. Listening to it now, I’m having flashbacks to wistfully blowing cigarette smoke out my open dorm room window because I was too lazy and full of ennui to go outside. The weight of the world comes through in the bassline, and the opening lines shifting between speakers feel like an argument between those shoulder-dwelling angels and devils from cartoons.

“Sell Out” continues the sad surfer vibes. Although, the chorus bits swell with early-aughts indie influence. There’s a haziness to the song and the line ‘You call yourself a sell-out” speaks to me of someone going through imposter syndrome. But then again, I might be projecting. Because I’m such a fucking failure. Wait, sorry. What was I talking about? Right. If you ever need background music for total dissociation, BEASTII has your back with “Sell Out.”

Acid surfer vibes run throughout the album, but are perhaps no more apparent than on “Butch Beach.” The heavy basslines chugging along behind Jen Dot’s raspy and breathy vocals give the tune an aggressive sexuality. It feels, to me, like a piss-take on macho surfers. I have to imagine the “Butch Beach” play on words is intentional.

“Ghost Follower” also shows off more of the band’s darkwave side. Granted, the surfer riffs still abound. But it’s more haunting. I mean, it does have “ghost” in the title. This is an interesting song lyrically. The opening stanza goes

“Now when I’m running on the right track

They don’t know I fight back

They don’t know that I’m winning”

Which suggests a level of blind confidence that can only be described as “Charlie Sheenian.” But then stanza two references “Heading to a dead end.” By the third stanza, the speaker wonders “Why should I fight/ when they’re always right.” The confidence is quickly thwarted and the speaker confines themselves to being a “ghost follower.” Naive optimism quickly turning into depression and defeat and following others as an anonymous ghost? Hmmm. Sounds a lot like posting on social media to me.

 “Subliminal” is downright sinister. News sources are another thing people follow and BEASTII shows their Chicago roots by name-checking the Sun-Times. The song implores listeners to “Think about what you read/ In the Sun-Times or on your newsfeed” and reminds them “Truth is not guaranteed/Integrity is the price you pay.” The track calls out those who “Say anything” and “water down all meaning.” On an album rife with social commentary, this is an apt criticism of the decline of journalistic integrity. (I blame the instantaneous 24-cycle where it’s “better” to report something first than to report it accurately, but that’s a whole different article).

 Considering track 11 is called “Into the Ground” it should come as no surprise it’s one of the more melancholy tracks on the album. It’s got post-rock swells, and guitar flourishes with surf-rock distortion. As someone who has studied film, I can see this track being used in a movie as a character has their reflective moment at the end of act two.

 Once again considering a proper album structure, the penultimate track needs to bring the energy back up. “Trusted Mystic” does exactly that. It’s also the track that, I would say, most exemplifies what I think of when I hear “dance-punk.” It’s immensely danceable. I can easily see it having an extended club remix.

BEASTII ends Follower on an ostensibly optimistic note with “Be Sweet.” It’s upbeat and the lyrics reference the complexities of healthy relationships.

            You say I talk in circles

            That don’t go anywhere

            But you admit you adore

            My castles in the air

This stanza reminds me of conversations with my wife. Lines like “sometimes I hate you for your certainty” are countered later with “sometimes I love you for your suspicions.” I love that. I truly believe that love involves acceptance and even admiration of certain imperfections.

Given my musical proclivities, it’s surprising that BEASTII had flown under my radar. Then again their last release was 7 years ago and I wasn’t even living on this continent then. That said, after having had the opportunity to review this album, BEASTII has gained a new… follower.

            Sorry… I’ll show myself out…

Follower releases 9/6/2024

BEASTII Follower LP Listening Party & Music Video Premiere

w/ The Cell Phones, Orisun, Dusty Turrets

Hosted by Jill Hopkins

Friday, September 13, 2024 at 9pm CT

at Liar’s Club (1665 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago, IL 60614)

21+. $5

BEASTII is….

Jen Dot – vocals, guitar, keys, electronic drums

Jesse Fevvers – vocals, guitar, electronic drums

Chris Lee – drums, backing vocals

Asha Adisa – vocals, keys Kai Black – bass, keys

Maureen Neer – vocals, bass

Follow BEASTII on the various socials:
https://beastii.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/beastii_rips

https://www.facebook.com/beastiirips

And for those under the age of 30, here’s TikTok:

@beastii_follower

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• 2024, album review, Beastii, Chicago Band, Chicago Music, dancepunk, Follower, Kyle Decker, Local Loop, new album

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