Beans – Less Louder

Beans have been back on my stereo, and this time I’ve found myself paying particular attention to the singing. Having written about the band before, I was keen to hear where they would take their fourth album, Less Louder. The Geelong and Melbourne group, fronted by The Murlocs drummer Matt Blach, have returned to recordings made at his home in 2021, during the same period that produced 2024’s Boots N Cats. These songs have had a few years to themselves, and hearing them now gives us another perspective on that spell of writing. Blach’s garage studio was a place to keep making music during lockdown, with enough time to explore the softer, more reflective songs that form this record.

The full Beans line up contributes here, with Blach handling the writing and much of the singing, guitar and drums. Jack Kong adds guitar, Mitch Rice plays keys, Vincent Clementson supplies bass and Lachie McKiernan plays drums. Across the album, acoustic textures, piano and Rhodes sit comfortably alongside surf guitar and vocal harmonies, giving the songs an easy-going character. There’s a lot of affection for classic pop writing in these ten tracks, and I’ve enjoyed hearing Beans give those influences such a personal setting.

Blach offers a useful introduction to the feelings behind the music:

That last part feels particularly appropriate for a record made at home during 2021. You can guess how this gentler musical setting would suit thoughts about company, solitude and the small comforts of familiar surroundings. Let’s drop the needle and hear for ourselves.

‘Resister’ gets things moving at a comfortable pace, with the relaxed rhythm establishing the album’s character immediately. There’s a pleasing looseness to its psychedelic pop; the sort of unhurried playing that makes me think of sitting outside as a summer evening cools. The guitar breaks are an early pleasure. Their simple phrases make such good use of the available space. Blach describes the song as being about the uncertainty of a new romance, and that gives its easy manner a little emotional complication. You can settle into the music while recognising that familiar mixture of pleasure and apprehension when somebody new enters your life.

A little bounce arrives with ‘My Room’, whose rhythm gives the album a more playful step. The surf guitar is central to its appeal, bringing a bright tone that suits the movement of the song beautifully. Brian Wilson comes to mind here, particularly in the way the music combines a light mood with such a clear affection for melody. There’s something very satisfying about hearing guitar parts that encourage you to follow the tune as closely as the beat. Beans keep both working together, and the track feels sociable and welcoming as a result.

By ‘Remember’, the guitars have become so expressive that I almost want to answer them. Their phrasing has a conversational quality, each little turn suggesting its own response to the music around it. My reference point shifts towards The Beatles here, with the bass making a particularly persuasive case for that comparison. There’s a McCartney quality to the way it participates in the melody, giving you another line to follow beneath the guitars. Listen to that relationship and you can hear why the arrangement feels so full of character. The bass has personality, the guitars have personality, and their interaction gives the song its charm.

The drummer makes quite an entrance on ‘Calm’. Those opening hits have enough presence to make you sit up, and I did have a wee laugh at how enthusiastically the percussion introduces a song with that title. Once the ballad gets going, its waltz rhythm establishes a tender, gently swaying feel. The guitar riff works particularly well alongside the vocal melody, giving the singing a companion phrase that you start listening for as the song continues. It’s one of those songs where following a small instrumental detail makes the whole thing more rewarding.

‘Dweller’ caught my ear immediately through the combination of swinging drums and clipped guitar chords. There’s a satisfying bite to those guitar attacks, especially when you hear how neatly they work against the movement of the percussion. The rhythm gives the song a little swagger, and the lower vocal register introduces another colour to the album. Having spent the opening tracks enjoying their melodic brightness, I liked hearing the voice settle into this deeper range. Beans get plenty of variety from these changes in emphasis, with the drums, guitar and singing each helping to establish a distinct mood.

I’m probably an easy audience for a song called ‘Smile’, because smile happens to be my favourite word. Even so, this one earned its title. Beans return to a Beatles flavoured approach, drawing on the playful side of their pop writing, and the song has a cheerful eccentricity that I thoroughly enjoyed. There’s a sense of musicians having fun with the material and allowing that enjoyment into the performance. You can hear how naturally this lighter moment belongs among the album’s more reflective songs. It gives the sequence a welcome bit of humour, and by this point the band have made their fondness for a good tune abundantly clear. I was smiling along quite happily.

The arrangement becomes spare on ‘Blueprints’, with minimal guitar and straightforward bass and drums giving the vocal plenty of space. This is where the album’s emphasis on singing becomes particularly rewarding. With so few instrumental details competing for your attention, you can spend time with the melody and the delivery, hearing how much feeling the performance brings to the song. Each part has a clear purpose, and the voice benefits from the room around it. Beans make a persuasive case here for the pleasure of a simple arrangement performed with real love.

Then ‘Corny Love’ arrives, and this is the one I’ll be recommending first. The Beach Boys influence is especially audible in those generous harmonies, which give the track a nostalgic warmth and make the singing feel wonderfully expansive. The chorus is the album’s emotional high point for me. Those rising voices bring such yearning to the melody, and I found myself wanting to hear that passage again as soon as it had finished. Beans give the familiar harmony style a sincerity that makes the song feel close and personal. You can appreciate the musical reference while being completely involved in the performance itself. I love what the vocals achieve here, especially after ‘Blueprints’ has already encouraged us to listen closely to the singing. This is my favourite on the record by some distance.

‘Simplify’ introduces a production feel that places it slightly apart from the surrounding songs. The surf guitar remains part of the musical vocabulary, though its use feels more contemporary, and the instrumental choices bring a different character to the recording. Following the strong classic pop associations of the preceding tracks, this change gives your ears something fresh to consider. I found it interesting hearing the band’s melodic instincts carry through a different production approach.

Acoustic guitar and piano bring us to ‘Bed Man Walking’, with the gentle sound of running water adding a lovely detail to the setting. The arrangement suits the closing position beautifully. You can hear the two instruments working alongside each other, supporting a vocal melody whose grace gives the song its emotional centre. There’s an intimacy to this combination that feels especially appropriate after learning where and when the recordings began. I enjoyed how naturally the album arrives at this quieter final moment.

Less Louder has left me with a real appreciation for the range of pleasures Beans find in these gentler songs. The guitar exchanges on ‘Remember’, the rhythmic enthusiasm of ‘Calm’ and the chorus of ‘Corny Love’ each offer a different reason to return. Across the record, thoughts of romance, loneliness and home have a musical setting full of warmth and personality. There’s room for a laugh, room for reflection and plenty of room for the voices to make their presence felt. Give it an afternoon of your own and see which melody stays with you. In my case, Less Louder has become a very good reason to listen a little longer.

Less Louder is out now via Fuzz Club. You can check it out over on the Beans Bandcamp page.

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