LIVE REVIEW: Beach Fossils // Atlanta, GA

By Delanee Wilson and Tatum Smith

This past Sunday, we ventured into downtown Atlanta to see Beach Fossils, with opening performances by Raener and Snail Mail, at the Masquerade.

In all honesty, we were a little bummed out about the fact that we had to sit through two openers before the main act. We were completely unfamiliar with the two openers, so we didn’t have a clue what to expect.

First came Raener, an LA-based synth-pop band with an indie edge. Their beats and rhythms were infectious from the start; within the first two minutes of their entrance, we were hooked. The whole crowd was drawn in by their stage presence, and everyone couldn’t help but dance. We were pleasantly surprised by the energy Raener had to offer, and we would totally love to see them again.

A short thirty minutes later, Lindsey Jordan of Snail Mail graced the stage. She was beauty, she was grace, she was only eighteen! Her solemn voice filled the room as she belted “Stick”, the emotional closing song from her EP “Habit”. Everyone was entranced by the soulful tone of her voice and the depth of her lyrics. Once Lindsey had the audience in the palm of her hand, she was joined on stage by a bassist and drummer, who took her music even further than before. Overall, Snail Mail was spectacular, and we will definitely keep our eye out for them in the future.

Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for… Beach Fossils. The boys came out on stage with smiles from ear to ear; they were ready to take on Atlanta. After seeing who stood before them, the crowd was electrified. Everyone’s energy was replenished, and we were ready to dance and sing like no tomorrow.

They opened the set with the ultimate crowd pleaser: “Generational Synthetic”. I swear you could hear every word being chanted from the crowd. A few songs later, when the band really started getting into it, the crowd began to mosh! There was a mosh pit during songs for which it was totally unfitting, but the band just rolled with it. They fed the crowd’s energy and kept the fire coming.

Dustin was particularly talkative during the set, making remarks to people in the pit about cool sunglasses, outfits, and the like. He kept the crowd interested, switching things up with each and every song, ensuring that nobody could get bored.

Toward the end of the set, Dustin instructed the crew to dim the lights, and he told us he was going to slow it down a little. Anticipation rushed through the crowd; we all knew what was coming up. It was finally time for “Sleep Apnea”. People put up their lighters, hugged their friends, and danced and swayed to Beach Fossils’ most popular song. There was a sense of unity in the room at that moment. Like nothing else mattered but what was going on right there in that room.

Overall, Beach Fossils put on an amazing performance and crafted their setlist to perfection. They remained humble throughout the show, thanking the audience many times and ensuring we knew how grateful they were for our support. Their energy stayed high from start to finish, and you could tell that they were doing what they love.