Beans Turn It Down and Find Something Better on “Resister”

Back in 2021, Beans frontman and Murlocs drummer Matt Blach had a lot of time and a garage studio and nothing else to do. He used the first stretch to record Boots N Cats — a drum-driven, rhythm-heavy set of garage-psych grooves that came out in 2024. He used the second stretch to record something completely different, and that’s Less Louder, the Geelong/Melbourne band’s fourth album, out September 11 on Fuzz Club.

Where Boots N Cats leaned into distortion and lysergic wig-outs, Less Louder goes the other way entirely — psychedelic pop, surf, and doo-wop influences, softer acoustic production, more piano and Rhodes, and breezy harmonies that drift through the whole record. The full Beans lineup is back for this one too: Jack Kong on guitar, Mitch Rice on keys, Vincent Clementson on bass, and Lachie McKiernan on drums alongside Blach. It was mixed by Jesse Williams and mastered by John Lee, and left to sit undisturbed for a few years before finally seeing the light.

“Resister” is a solid preview of where the record lives — deeply infectious melody and hazy jangle, firmly in the Sunday afternoon category. Sometimes the most interesting thing a band can do is exactly nothing louder than necessary. Pre-order it below.

Pre-order Less Louder ↗