“A Beacon School is the dream pop project of New York-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Patrick J. Smith. The songs on releases such as his full-length debut, Cola, alternate between uptempo, jangly pop nuggets, lush shoegaze and intricately-arranged electronic soundscapes.
Smith began making music as A Beacon School in 2009. A home-recorded demo single was released in 2011, and a self-titled EP by a full-band lineup appeared near the end of 2012. Smith notably played with bands such as Modern Rivals and Bluffing, and currently works with Parquet Courts’ Max Savage as part of Maxband.
In 2018, A Beacon School’s Cola was released by Grind Select. After receiving positive press and slowly gaining a worldwide following, an expanded vinyl edition of Cola was released in 2019 in conjunction with Fat Possum’s ‘House Arrest’ imprint, amassing over 50 million streams, tours with El Ten Eleven and Ruby Haunt and syncs on critically acclaimed shows such as Hacks and Shrinking.
Now back with his first full-length in five years, yoyo, a follow-up to Cola, Smith takes his sound even further with 10 tracks that are an untainted exploration of the unconscious artistic self and the oscillation of time.”
This is the info you can find on Bandcamp page of the upcoming album out in October. KITM is a new single and I am loving it. I have shared previous singles and I quite enjoyed it.
Here is a quote about the single:
“On “KITM”, (‘Keep It To Myself’ abbreviated), I’m very much talking to myself, voicing my frustrations with how long it takes me to do anything. I have all these plans and ideas and frustrations, but never act on them. It’s kind of a pep talk to say “hurry up and do something!””
The new album is going to be released on the Philly-based label Grind Select and I am so excited to listen to the album.
The songs somehow remind me a little bit of Beach Fossils but in a dreamier more shoegaze way. This new single is once again a masterpiece and the new album is sounding so promising. I cannot wait to hear it full once it is out, definitely one of the albums that should not pass you unheard. I think this year has so many great albums, it will be really hard to pick the top 10, but I have a hunch, this one will be there together with the new Beach Fossils.
This single is another great dreamy track and I am loving it. Also, the lyric video is beautiful.
I have asked Patrick two questions about this feature:
What was the most challenging thing in your music (artistic) path?
The most challenging thing was figuring out how to use my voice. When producing music you have a million different sounds to use, except when it comes to your voice. For me, a very untrained singer, there’s only so much I can do with it. It’s a fun challenge to work with this limited instrument and make try to create something satisfying.
What would you dream to do if anything was possible?
If anything was possible I would love to produce for other artists. Like I said, my voice is quite limited in what it can do and that ends up guiding most of the creative process. I think it would be really exciting to work with someone whose voice was the total opposite of mine.
Do not forget to pre-order the album in your favorite format.