Sombre, nostalgic, sun-soaked and irreverent – these are the words used to describe the delicately woven songs of Bean Magazine.
Their sound calls back to a world of pop that, maybe, no longer exists; equally upbeat and morose, just as easily able to pick you up as to put you down.
The members of Bean Magazine – Henry, Gabrielle and Seb – have enraptured listeners with their whirlwind of an EP In The Shade in 2024. From the lyrical fervour of songs like Don’t You Die to the galivanting Free As Hell, each song is equally expressive and tightly constructed. Talking to Henry, it becomes clear that Bean Magazine is eager to play with their sound.
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“I have always found the ‘sun-soaked’ thing kind of weird. It has sort of stuck. I feel like we have more grungier roots than that,” he says. Their new single Share You introduces a dreamier, shoegaze-like, far more choral sound, calling back to the sounds of the late ’90s and early 2000s. Henry makes it clear that this is an organic blooming of their sound.
“I don’t think many people are trying to be revivalists. Even we aren’t – this sound just always seems to be the most natural thing for us. We are always trying to find new ways to do it and stay in the modern world.
“In particular for this next EP and the song Share You, that vocal line that initially comes in at the start wasn’t as pronounced, then we morphed it into the backbone of the whole song. Creatively speaking, our music isn’t based solely on our influences, but on us chipping away at it slowly.”
Do the songs reflect personal tragedies? Henry laughs about this idea of tragedy or sorrow attached to the songs. “So, when we recorded the music video for that single [Share You], I actually got my car stolen. Thinking about the song now, it could, perhaps, be seen as an ode to my car. I guess it works! Even throwing in the more personal side to the song, it doesn’t really matter unless the song itself works.
He says the recording process for In The Shade involved a lot of quick decision making, going with their instincts. “As we’ve gotten more experience, we’ve gotten better at it and we’re progressing sonically. It isn’t that complicated: we listen carefully to the song and focus on it purely from that lens. There is currently no pressure to make something inauthentic.”
Bean Magazine’s meteoric rise has added an extra infusion of joy into their live performances. “When we perform our songs, they’re often totally different to how they’re recorded half the time. I think live performances are a representation of what was made in the studio, at least for us. We are a pretty raw band when we perform live.”
Despite Bean Magazine’s affinity for lo-fi, there’s little they want to change now in regards to the impact of their sound.“Down the line, I am sure we will think about beefing up our live shows, but right now, the raw energy of it all is what appeals to people most.”
Bean Magazine are now set for a big tour up and down the east coast. The band seems up to the task.
“I feel like the waiting around is kind of killing me! I am super keen because we had a super great run last year, but after that, it became a real case of post-tour blues. I don’t really know how to describe it, you’re just out-of-whack for a few weeks, or even months.”
I ask him if he wants to write a song about post-tour blues: “I already have! It’s on the next EP, it’s called Pretty,” he says.
But aside from the tour, what does the future look like for Bean Magazine? Henry smiles as I ask this question. “We can’t think too much of the future, really. It’s irrelevant if you can’t get it ‘right’ right now. We just hope that this tour – performing every weekend for three months straight – will push us to that next level.”
Bean Magazine are supporting Ball Park Music at The Forum on 15, 16 May. Get tickets here.
