When Dustin Payseur started coming into my record store when
he was 11-years-old I would’ve never predicted that his album would someday
make my top albums of the year. I can pretty much guarantee 2013’s “Clash the
Truth” will. His band Beach Fossils plays Chop Shop Monday with Kurt Vile.
In February 1997 the Cotswold Record Exchange relocated to East
Blvd. We left behind a few young regular customers in the Cotswold neighborhood
(namely a girl named Paige), but we gained a few others in Dilworth. Dustin and
his friend Taylor (who Payseur says is now a fitness instructor) were frequent
customers. They’d come in together or with Payseur’s older sister. They’d peruse the used section and occasionally try to
talk us out of free promo cds. My co-worker told me she got them to clean the
bathroom in exchange for promos. I don't know if that's true, but I like that story.
Those two kids introduced us to Insane Clown Posse - way before it was a craze. I think we might’ve
introduced them to the Suicide Machines. We played the Detroit punk band's second album constantly. I remember a bit of pride washed over me when one of
them bought a copy. Although they might've sold it back to us used a couple weeks later - they did that too.
I always had a soft spot for our regular customers. When I
left the store for good two years later, I left a note taped to the register
telling all the ones I could remember goodbye. For some reason I never forgot
Dustin and Taylor. Now I know why.
Last winter Sirius/XMU put tracks from the upcoming Beach
Fossils’ record in regular rotation. I’d heard of the band, but didn’t know
much about them amid the Beach Houses and Best Coasts. When our babysitter
mentioned one day that her friend’s brother was in Beach Fossils. We put two and two together and figured out it was Payseur. I guffawed in
disbelief. I could not believe the same kid was leading this indie
rock buzz band out of Brooklyn.
Then I got the record. The opening guitar and bass part of
the title song “Clash the Truth” stopped me in my tracks. It has the sad,
longing, dark romanticism of the best songs off a John Hughes’ soundtrack mixed
with a deep, direct sort of spooky Jesus and Mary Chain vocal without the fuzz. You can hear that same sort of thing on “Generational Synthetic,” for
which the group released a new video this week that you can watch above.
I didn’t really know Payseur at all, but listening to
how far he’s come makes me proud of that kid. A lot must've happened between ICP and his band's sophomore album, both musically and personally (his lyrics are insightful and
smart as well). I wrote a story about him last Spring when “Clash the Truth”
came out. You can read it here. Payseur spoke of those years between
frequenting the Record Exchange and struggling to get through school and out of
Charlotte. I’m telling this story again from a more personal perspective
because I’m just that tickled that his record is that good.
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