ALEXSUCKS Bottles Up All the Fun and Confusion of Figuring Life Out in 'Warm Beers'
Photo: Sam Fine
Life is just one giant coming-of-age movie, and ALEXSUCKS has created the perfect soundtrack for listless days spent hanging out with friends in parking lots or sleeping through the hangover caused by the debauchery of the night before. Warm Beers is an addictively nostalgic body of work from the LA-based quartet, solidifying their position as an act to watch in the modern rock revival. The band fuses elements of garage and dance-punk with their own unique brand of catchy, introspective lyricism and gut-punching sonics.
The opening track, "Television of Memories," is a nostalgically hypnotic effort that exudes a sunset-like quality, as if you're walking down literal memory lane as leaves fall from the branches and crunch beneath your feet. Lead singer Alex Alvarez croons to his loved ones over the gentle, looming instrumentation, "Don't be scared of the dark / Cause all that I want is / Just to see what it's like in the dark," accepting that it's time for him to "tie the rope" and be set free. It's a dark piece that dives headfirst into what it means to live and die, with lyrics that hint, maybe not so subtly, at suicide. As the instrumentation ebbs and flows into the ether, Alvarez leaves listeners to meditate on the line, "This the end of the road / Set me free... In the ashes of where I'll be / Don't be scared of the dark."
Moving past the familiar territory of the infectious and racing "Hate Me If You Want" and the hazy, self-doubt-ridden "What're We Doing Here," listeners are introduced to the record's title track, "Warm Beers." On the track, murmurs of clean guitar brush up against relatable recollections of teenage boredom. Alvarez recounts the antics of his youth, relays tales of hanging out in parking lots and stealing from the liquor store, and wonders why nobody tells him, "I shouldn't be like this." Leaning into a classic loud-soft dynamic, distortion revs up and boosts an intoxicating refrain, "I used to skip school and drink warm beers from the backseat of my friend's older brother's car."
On the explosive hook, he admits that he didn't know life was going to be "war" and that now he can no longer ignore the fact that he needs to figure out his shit. If you're a fan of this retro-inspired production, you'll love the accompanying music video, directed by Nat Gray, which bears all the hallmarks of classic '90s Kevin Smith and Richard Linklater flicks. The visual shows Alvarez sporting a work shirt with a nametag, mopping the floor at a convenience store, and rocking out so hard with his bandmates that they set a bar on fire.
Warm Beers closes with the banger "Whatever I Want." An existential indie rock anthem, thrumming basslines, unyielding percussion, and moody guitar riffs come together to create a satisfyingly angsty wall of sound. Alvarez ruminates on how no one really knows what they're doing, singing in the pre-chorus, "And you don’t care to notice / Life’s been looking hopeless / And you don’t really wanna get help / Or figure it out." On the hook, as the band ups the ante with their instrumentation, he suggests we might as well "do whatever we want."
Listen to Warm Beers below
