Perhaps most famous for their song ‘Prom Queen’ released back in 2018, Beach Bunny know a thing of two about writing a good angsty alternative/indie rock album. Back at the end of April, Beach Bunny, consisting of frontwoman Lili Trifilio (vocals, rhythm guitar) alongside John Alvarade (drums) and Anthony Vaccaro (lead guitar), released their third album titled ‘Tunnel Vision’. This marks a whole three years since their last album release back in 2022 and whilst they may have stuck to their classic and recognisable sound, the songs themselves have shifted away from venting about teenage romances to focusing more on the struggles of anxiety, change and navigating young-adulthood in a world beset by environmental degradation and political corruption.

Opening this record is ‘Mr. Predictable’; a song that at first sounds bright and cheerful however quickly contrasts this deceptively happy melody with lyrics venting about the struggles of trying to live your daily life as normal whilst it feels as if the world around you is changing in an ever more unpredictable manner. As an opening song I think it does an amazing job at showcasing what Beach Bunny does so incredibly well, that is, simply but effectively narrating difficult topics in almost a juxtaposed manner on top of a high energy and bubbly melody.

The next two songs, ‘Big Pink Bubble’ and ‘Chasm’, both explore avoidant behaviours; be it as a coping strategy to be perceived better or as a result of worrying about whether you’ll be able to shape yourself into a better version of you. Next in line is the title track ‘Tunnel Vision’ which has become one of my personal favourites in their entire discography. As the title suggests, the songs expresses the feeling of navigating life with what feels like tunnel vision, not trusting your own ability to make the right decisions and instead just living passively whilst following the often disorienting flow of events. It is through songs like ‘Tunnel Vision’ where you get the sense that you really are following the personal journeys of the band’s members and I believe that this is a song which can resonate especially strong with people our age as some of us are approaching the end of university and no longer find a clear delineated path to follow. These feelings associated with navigating early adulthood carry on into the next song ‘Clueless’ which despite hammering down the nail of reality even further, offers some much needed comfort as the singer describes finding solace in seeing the resemblance of her mother in herself from back when she was her age.

This simple yet very topical and effective album therefore has sold itself to me as an all around great contribution which sticks to its roots by exploring various struggles in a direct yet impactful manner

Following this lethal combination is ‘Pixie Cut’ and the most popular song from the album: ‘Vertigo’. Being very much two sides of the same coin, both songs tackle the feeling of not being in control of your own thoughts and emotions with what is now becoming a growing sense of frustration. The album does this effectively by now choosing to move towards slightly darker instrumentals and more intense drum parts. This carries over into the songs ‘Violence’ and ‘Just Around the Corner’ which very explicitly conveys the anger of living in a world of “money, greed [and] excess power”. After all, it’s not easy to deal with one’s own emotional struggles when environmental degradation, human rights violations and corruption on account of governments makes it exhaustingly “hard to be human”.

The final song, ‘Circles’, I think does a very good job of rounding out this album. Despite going back to the more light hearted and bright melody, it reiterated for one final time the seemingly superficiality of life and the many routines and goals which we’re taught to desire. To end the album on such a song definitely communicates that these struggles aren’t something that the members of Beach Bunny can offer a solution for. For them, these struggles are ongoing and the same will probably hold true for many of us as we navigate this rapidly changing world. This simple yet very topical and effective album therefore has sold itself to me as an all around great contribution which sticks to its roots by exploring various struggles in a direct yet impactful manner.

Image: Beach Bunny via Spotify