Beans – Less Louder

Beans deliberately turns the volume knob back to ‘Less Louder’, and that is exactly what the title promises. The fourth album by the band from Geelong and Melbourne is the quiet sister of ‘Boots N Cats’ from 2024, made for Sunday afternoon on the veranda with a cold drink within reach. Behind Beans is Matt Blach, who also plays drums with The Murlocs. The band debuted in 2018 with ‘Babble’ and built a reputation through ‘All Together Now’ as a garage-psychedelic group that likes to rattle and float. On ‘Boots N Cats’, Blach played all the instruments himself and everything revolved around drums and rhythm. That album and ‘Less Louder’ were created during the same period, throughout the strange, long lockdown years in his own home, where he recorded to keep busy and stay sane. The second part lay dormant for a few years and now appears on Fuzz Club, mixed by Jesse Williams and mastered by John Lee. Unlike its predecessor, the whole band is back alongside him here.

The sound is softer and more intimate. Piano and Rhodes are given more space, the production is more acoustic and the distortion and wild psychedelic outbursts have been toned down. Instead, there are harmonies, airy melodies and a hazy warbling that reaches back to psychedelic pop, surf and doo wop. Blach himself calls the album a Sunday afternoon record and speaks of a new intimacy. That is a nice starting point: music to dream away to rather than jump around to.

First single ‘Resister’ already showed where the band wanted to go, and ‘My Room’ followed as a second preview. The latter song is about staying in control of your thoughts without overanalysing them, with a cigarette and a cup of tea as a moment of calm. That is recognisable to anyone who has ever sat on the edge of their bed and had no idea where to begin. According to Blach, the lyrics are about love, loneliness, memories and hiding away or sleeping. Titles such as ‘Calm’, ‘Corny Love’ and closing track ‘Bed Man Walking’ fit neatly with that. The album contains ten songs and lasts thirty six minutes, so nobody needs to be bored for long.

Yet that is also where a risk lies. Anyone who knows Beans for their unrestrained guitar parts may feel short-changed, and an album that runs at virtually the same low speed throughout can cause attention to wander. Without the sharp edges, everything depends on the quality of the melodies and harmonies, and that is a thin thread to walk along. The lack of an exuberant standout track may also mean that the album only really starts to work after several listens.

On the other hand, the choice deserves respect. At a time when everything has to be louder, faster and bigger, Beans opts for softness and a little breathing space. ‘Less Louder’ will not fill stadiums, but that is not the intention of an album that emerged from a garage studio during lockdown. Put it on on a quiet Sunday, leave the phone alone and give yourself an hour of doing nothing. (7/10) (Fuzz Club)