James Alex introduced the softer side of Beach Slang’s music when he released the We Were Babies & We Were Dirtbags EP under his Quiet Slang moniker back in the fall. Now, he’s exploring that minimalist, acoustic side even more with Quiet Slang’s debut full-length, Everything Matters But No One is Listening, due May 18th via Polyvinyl Record Co.
Like with the EP, Everything Matters features stripped-down re-workings of tracks from Beach Slang’s repertoire. “If Beach Slang is me fawning over The Replacements, Quiet Slang is me head-over-heels for Stephin Merritt,” Alex said in a press release.
Helping Alex reach that Merritt level of sound was his longtime co-producer Dave Downham. Together with cellist Dan Delaney, pianist Keith Giosa, Stacy Downham, Matt Weber, Charlie Lowe, and the Jersey quartet The Warhawks, they found the tenderness underneath the raging garage rock of Beach Slang’s music.
As a first listen to the album, Quiet Slang has shared the video for “Dirty Cigarettes”. The reimagined track from 2014’s Cheap Thrills on a Dead End Street takes on a haunted air thanks to the dancing piano and forlorn cello. Alex turns his raspy vocals into a near whisper, underlining the gentle emotionality of the lyrics. As for the accompanying clip, it was directed by Jason Lester and features Laura Burhenn (Mynabirds) and Heather McIntosh (Elephant 6, of Montreal).
Check it out below.
Alex says his next project is a return to the full force of Beach Slang, but he hasn’t ruled out a sophomore Quiet Slang effort. He hopes a second record would feature all original material. For now though, find the Everything Matters But No One is Listening artwork and tracklist below, and pre-order the album here.
Everything Matters But No One is Listening Artwork:
Everything Matters But No One is Listening Tracklist:
01. Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas
02. Noisy Heaven
03. Future Mixtape for the Art Kids
04. Filthy Luck
05. Dirty Cigarettes
06. Too Late to Die Young
07. Spin the Dial
08. Young Hearts
09. Throwaways
10. Warpaint
Alex will give Quiet Slang its live debut at South by Southwest, which he’ll follow with a run of dates with Beach Slang opening for Dashboard Confessional. Find the Slangs’ complete itinerary below.
Beach Slang 2018 Tour Dates:
03/14 – Austin, TX @ SXSW (St. David’s Historic Sanctuary) *
03/15 – Pandora at SXSW @ The Gatsby, 11 -20pm
03/20 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues ^
03/21 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues ^
03/23 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre ^
03/24 – St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live ^
03/25 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues ^
03/26 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz ^
03/27 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte ^
03/29 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel ^
03/30 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues ^
03/31 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring ^
04/02 – Asbury Park, NJ @ The Stone Pony ^
04/03 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues ^
04/04 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s ^
04/05 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall ^
04/06 – Grand Rapids, MI @ 20 Monroe Live ^
04/07 – Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom ^
04/08 – Lawrence, KS @ The Granada Theater ^
04/09 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall ^
04/11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex ^
04/13 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater ^
04/14 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox ^
04/16 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades ^
04/17 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore ^
04/18 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues ^
04/20 – Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues ^
04/21 – Hollywood, CA @ Hollywood Palladium ^
* = Quiet Slang debut show
^ = w/ Dashboard Confessional
