A Beacon School concots a fascinating sonic puzzle in its 2018 record Cola—vibrant electric guitars, exuberant vocals, subtle synthesizer melodies, and evocative musical breakdowns constitute the various elements of this overall dreamy but upbeat album. Songs like “ I Don’t Believe It” and “Glue” ramp up the pace and pound away at punky drum beats to create surprising blends of dream pop and garage rock in part reminiscent of 4AD cult shoegazers Pale Saints. The group is gearing up for a vinyl release of Cola and is celebrating with a performance at Baby’s All Right on June 14. The vinyl will include three unreleased songs from the original album sessions and a clear version limited to 250 copies. Check out “I Don’t Believe It” streaming below. – Rene Cobar
