A Beacon School+ 12 Indie-Pop vibes to change the world

While the world’s mood today leads us straight to songs like “Everybody hurts” (R.E.M), it’s always a relief to be able to find some pop gems along the way that suddenly comfort us and, why not, make us happier and more joyful. In this regard, there is nothing better than letting good, modern independent pop music act on its own. On this list, we again have established figures such as The Lovelines, Peptalk, B.Miles and Kayls (who I love with a passion), but also new bands or projects, such as A Beacon School, which have captivated me a lot recently.

A Beacon School is the dream pop project of New York-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Patrick J. Smith. The songs on releases such as his full-length debut, Cola, alternate between uptempo, jangly pop nuggets, lush shoegaze and intricately-arranged electronic soundscapes.

Smith began making music as A Beacon School in 2009. A home-recorded demo single was released in 2011, and a self-titled EP by a full-band lineup appeared near the end of 2012. Smith notably played with bands such as Modern Rivals and Bluffing, and currently works with Parquet Courts’ Max Savage as part of Maxband.

In 2018, A Beacon School’s Cola was released by Grind Select. After receiving positive press and slowly gaining a worldwide following, an expanded vinyl edition of Cola was released in 2019 in conjunction with Fat Possum’s ‘House Arrest’ imprint, amassing over 50 million streams, tours with El Ten Eleven and Ruby Haunt and syncs on critically acclaimed shows such as Hacks and Shrinking.

Now back with his first full-length in five years, yoyo, a follow up to Cola, Smith takes his sound even further with 10 tracks that are an untainted exploration of the unconscious artistic self and the oscillation of time.