Beach Fossils’ second full–length album, "Clash The Truth," sounds like a sophomore slump. With its 2010 debut, the group seemed like a standout contender among the litany of other Brooklyn dream–pop bands (think Real Estate and Cloud Nothings). But rather than mature into a more expansive, richer sound, Beach Fossils simply continued to make lethargic lo–fi pop. The album opener “Clash the Truth” is perhaps the most energetic—you can easily imagine people getting down to this anthemic song at shows. But it fails to set the tone because what follows on the album is pure haze. The exception comes in the form of “Birthday," which utterly rocks. But in general, the novelty of Dustin Pasyeur’s voice wears off with each track and marks "Clash The Truth" as uninspiring noise.
Grade: C+
Sounds best when: Deep in the doldrums
99–cent download: “Birthday”
