Marvin Nygaard & Vidar Landa of Norwegian Metal Band Kvelertak Unite with Børild Haughom & Espen Kvaloy to Form Gaslight Anthem-reminiscent Beachheads (Fysisk Format)
"Beachheads is a Power-Pop band from the west coast of Norway. This is their self-titled debut album. The spark that became Beachheads was first ignited on a tour bus, as Kvelertak members Vidar [Landa] (guitar) and Marvin [Nygaard] (bass) fantasized about the endless potential of fuzzy guitars, energetic drums, and good melodies. The two hard-working Kvelertak musicians had little time off and Beachheads endured as more of a favourite dream band on days off, than a "real" band," reads a fragmented chunk of BEACHHEADS' press text. While they've received wide-spread critical acclaim and have already garnered comparisons to "Big Star, Teenage Fanclub, and Punkier fare like The Replacements," as Stereogum Senior Editor Tom Breihan perfectly puts it, but no one has seemed to compare Beachheads to their most fitting stateside musical counterpart, as I see it: New Brunswick, New Jersey's own Heartland Rock/Folk Punk pride and joy, The Gaslight Anthem! "Beachheads is the kind of band that will stay with you through life’s many twists and turns. The track sequence manifests life’s unpredictability and sharp contrasts, going from classic love songs to moments of deep despair. The album is brimmed with the sense a euphoric companionship, the power of trusting yourself and following your heart... truthfulness and honesty will get you through anything," Fysisk Format's on-site Beachheads bio enthusiastically continued.
Beachheads is rounded out by Espen Kvaløy, drummer of Norwegian Metal band Overthrow, and Synth-Pop singer Børild Haughom, both of whom Vidar Landa & Marvin Nygaard met following a fateful 2013 demo session. Then newly-formed Beachheads "knocked out three single tracks that quickly made a mark on playlists on both Norwegian and British national radio. The sudden success and interest came as a surprise for Beachheads, who had no big plans, except for "maybe recording an album sometime."' It seems as though these three singles ultimately turned into Beachheads' May 2015 Bandcamp double-single, "Shadow of a Man" b/w "Get Away" (neither of which appear within their forthcoming Fysisk Format debut). However, "Shadow of a Man" and "Get Away" are currently available for streaming on a TigerFysiskFormat-compiled playlist simply titled Beachheads Singles; album tracks "Moment of Truth," "Break Me Down," and "Your Highness" are additionally included within the 5-song sampler. "Get Away" and "Shadow of a Man" were both mixed by Larry Crane at Jackpot Studios in Portland, Oregon, while Beachheads' self-titled album was recorded in their hometown of Stavanger, Norway and was mixed by Øystein Frantzvåg in Oslo studio Nabolaget. Beachheads' self-titled debut will be released on Oslo-based Tiger Records' in-house [read: basement] imprint, Fysisk Format this upcoming February 3rd.