Beach Jesus • "Aloe BB"
In the midst of a stressful day, Beach Jesus' "Aloe BB" comes at the perfect time. The new single is a sonic salve for the 9-5 doldrums. No joke, for all the drizzle and grey that you get on a late fall Wednesday, Beach Jesus has an uncanny ability (one they share with Sicko Mobb, in my opinion) to take you somewhere that's warm, where deadlines refer to subpar fishing.
Standing out on vocals is Beach Jesus's Chando, in a second verse that rockets "Aloe BB" from hypnotic to hype in the time that it takes for me to get sunburned (ie: immediately). "Aloe BB" has a bit of a march to its step, moving intently towards an impressive finish, courtesy of an Elias Abid production switch-up. The usual waviness is present, but at the end of the song these waves are crashing; big, crunchy and distorted. The sound works great here, and is an on-point embodiment of the contrast between this very upbeat song and its despondent lyrics.
Does Beach Jesus save? All I know is that I feel better than I did pre-"Aloe BB", and you can't argue with results. The Windy City skies are grey and the rain has been falling all morning, afternoon, and night, but spin "Aloe BB" and get away for a few minutes. You'll be glad you did. I know I am.