COVER
THE BEACHES
Will Get You Through Your Breakup
By Emily Rosati
Publishing date: Oct 06, 2023
A
Aside from being the year of the Barbie, it seems that 2023 has been the year of reckoning and recovery from what we’ve now collectively decided to coin as a “canon event”. Supposedly, a pivotal point in a person’s life that inevitably shifts the path and can inherently change who you are; regrettable past experiences that range from getting hung up on toxic partners to those bangs you got in your early 20s that you can’t seem to recuperate from. I think we can all agree that there’s no canon event that hits like the good old-fashioned breakup, from which what follows is a gut-wrenching, stubborn, hysterical ride, and, if I’m being honest, can at some moments be liberating and even sort of fun, in a sick way.
It’s a moment in time that The Beaches have embodied in their latest 90s-tinged pop-inflected rock album, Blame My Ex—great advice, by the way—, capturing brutally honest uncertainty and possibility, that can act as your breakup survival playlist. Highlighting the stages of grief from defiant anger and late nights partying avoiding the pain, to your fated first post-breakup crush, the record brings a sense of comfort that reminds us that these experiences are undoubtedly painful, yet softens the blow by making it apparent just how universal they are.
Blame My Ex followed a series of breakups from lead vocalist and bassist Jordan Miller, guitarist Kylie Miller, and guitarist and keyboardist Leandra Earl. Oh, and a split from their label as the cherry on top. The songs revel in pain, redemption, finding strength, and self-discovery. With their newfound independence, The Beaches had an opportunity to reinvent their studio energy and answer to themselves. What came from it is their most mature album yet, both lyrically and sonically. Seriously, if you’re not going through your canon event breakup, this record almost makes you wish you were to get the most out of this immersive experience.
Aside from being the year of the Barbie, it seems that 2023 has been the year of reckoning and recovery from what we’ve now collectively decided to coin as a “canon event”. Supposedly, a pivotal point in a person’s life that inevitably shifts the path and can inherently change who you are; regrettable past experiences that range from getting hung up on toxic partners to those bangs you got in your early 20s that you can’t seem to recuperate from. I think we can all agree that there’s no canon event that hits like the good old-fashioned breakup, from which what follows is a gut-wrenching, stubborn, hysterical ride, and, if I’m being honest, can at some moments be liberating and even sort of fun, in a sick way.
It’s a moment in time that The Beaches have embodied in their latest 90s-tinged pop-inflected rock album, Blame My Ex—great advice, by the way—, capturing brutally honest uncertainty and possibility, that can act as your breakup survival playlist. Highlighting the stages of grief from defiant anger and late nights partying avoiding the pain, to your fated first post-breakup crush, the record brings a sense of comfort that reminds us that these experiences are undoubtedly painful, yet softens the blow by making it apparent just how universal they are.
Blame My Ex followed a series of breakups from lead vocalist and bassist Jordan Miller, guitarist Kylie Miller, and guitarist and keyboardist Leandra Earl. Oh, and a split from their label as the cherry on top. The songs revel in pain, redemption, finding strength, and self-discovery. With their newfound independence, The Beaches had an opportunity to reinvent their studio energy and answer to themselves. What came from it is their most mature album yet, both lyrically and sonically. Seriously, if you’re not going through your canon event breakup, this record almost makes you wish you were to get the most out of this immersive experience.
By the time The Beaches performed the record for the first time at Supermarket in Toronto, the first single “Blame Brett” had accumulated millions of streams, radio play, and TikTok virality. Let’s just say there were a lot of audience members screaming, “Blame my ex”, with such conviction that it cannot possibly be absorbed by Brett alone, his name now becoming a vessel for anyone’s past love. And to be fair, the song doesn’t exactly villainize Brett but is a preemptive apology letter to future partners for how a breakup fundamentally cracks you—temporarily, that is.
Following the album release show at Supermarket, which felt akin to a group therapy session, I connected with recent-breakup vet Leandra Earl and drummer Eliza Enman-McDaniel for an early morning chat on, to my surprise, Leandra’s birthday. “We have band practice today. Although, I just texted asking if we could not do band practice,” a fair ask from a birthday girl, to which a supportive Eliza quickly affirms, “It’s your birthday, you decide! I woke up thinking you wouldn’t want to spend your birthday there—it’s so gross.”
Leandra and Eliza take me on a journey through the making of their first independent release in ten years, made possible by immense support between the best friend bandmates and collaborators Lowell and Gus Van Go.
“It’s been our secret playlist for the last six months and the reception has been so incredible, we’re so grateful. It was a little scary doing this release independently,” Eliza shares, “We’re all on cloud nine right now. We were able to write music that resonated with us. There was a lot of emotion that came through on the record. It’s not that it’s all sad either. There are a few of what we call happy sad songs. And some that are just truly happy.”
“Knowing that we only had to answer to ourselves and each other to send demos and get approvals is an entirely different feeling. It gives you the freedom to try new things and not fear that other people would hate it. It’s nice to just live with things that we’re happy with and not be scared to take risks,” Leandra echoes Eliza’s sentiment.
The risks taken resulted in what became a record of nuanced complexities, articulated to perfection, infused with a winking sense of humor. The record reads as fearless, spitting truths that are hard to sort out in your head, let alone put into a 10-track album for the world to hear. Take “If A Tree Falls”, written in response to Jordan’s emotional turmoil, an astonishing two weeks post-breakup, Eliza reveals, “There’s an earnestness that happened after that song was written. It was a new side of us that we hadn’t explored because we’re usually so playful. “Everything is Boring” took it a different way and “If A Tree Falls” became its own little thing. It felt very honest and true to who we were.”
Leandra recounts to me a clear case in point, with “Edge of the Earth”, which at the album release show, she admitted was written about her ex, who was even there that night. “We wrote that song when we were still together. I feel like she loves it more now. We were kind of arguing and going through a tough time, just the week that we wrote that. When we broke up, it kind of embodied a breakup. At the end of the day, even when you’ve been arguing, you still love each other. It was hard saying that on stage that night because all my friends and family were there and I don’t want anyone to think any less of her because it’s just what happened with breakups.” This is just one mere example of a relatable breakup experience that The Beaches can guide you through, by their raw honesty and openness. And for those of you reading that can relate, I think you’d be happy to know that Leandra says she currently feels very connected to the climactic final track “Cigarette” which offers an overwhelming sense of alleviation, which she describes as, “The coming out of a breakup and finally having a crush on someone phase. When I’m down in the dumps, I find that helps to be excited about someone else. I love a good little crush, I think it’s important to the healing process.”
“Cigarette”, much like the rest of the album, captures an aha moment, once you sift through the pain, coming to realize the scope of your power and worth. “Even though it is a breakup album, it’s not all about the heartbreak itself. There are songs that show you there are better things ahead to get excited about. If you were to take something away from it, I hope it would be that,” says Eliza. There is a parallel to be drawn here—the same newfound confidence you can find within is reflected in The Beaches’ growth itself, with this album exhibiting the breadth of their talent and reach.
Concept aside, Blame My Ex, marks a shift from The Beaches being a rock band that you party and dance to—though you can and should. It draws inspiration from the likes of Joy Division and New Order, but also maintains a “modern Willow, cool girl, kind of vibe,” as Eliza describes. In addition, this is the first time we’ve heard the band be candid with their sexuality and queerness.
“I came out during COVID. Our last tour was as the world was opening again. During some of our meet-and-greets, we had a lot of young queer fans asking when we would write from that perspective. We were like, ‘Yes, let’s do this. Let’s represent our fans and ourselves.’ Now, I just feel that much more connected to the music and fans listening to it,” Leandra shared.
From the album to these insights shared, The Beaches affirms my belief that support is a vital component to the foundation of any band or friendship, a quality that even permeates through Blame My Ex and extends itself to the listener. “I look at all the members of my band and know that I could never do what they do,” Eliza admits, “They’re my best friends. The people closest to me are so talented. It’s a very supportive environment, whether it’s personal or music-related. Everyone always gets a round of applause when they come out of the booth.”
“I always think that if we were not best friends or solo artists, we would not have gotten this far. I’m very grateful that I’ve had my sisters to go through this journey with because the music industry is so hard and spits people out. It’s great to have this support system. At the end of the day, you can debrief and talk smack, and have a Coors Light together,” Leandra adds.
And far they have gotten. With “Blame Brett” topping charts around the globe, The Beaches are obtaining recognition from icons that would have their younger selves in disbelief about their lives today. “Mark Hoppus,” Eliza tells me excitedly, “Yesterday, we discovered that Mark Hoppus likes our song. He was dancing and singing to it on Instagram Live.” To which Leandra adds, “In the same theme, my younger self would not believe that we opened for Avril and that she knows about us. Avril is why I’m in music,” prompting us to also discover that Avril Lavigne’s 2004 show in Toronto was all of our first concerts, making me feel all that more connected to them and wanting to campaign to be the fifth Beach.
At the peak of their career and newfound independence, The Beaches are beginning to ascend North American borders. “Slowly happening but I’ve always hoped we make a name for ourselves and go worldwide,” Leandra shares her wishes for the future of her band. Eliza relates to the sentiment, telling me her hope is, “To be able to gain exposure in places we’ve never been to and never thought we would travel, with my best friends, play to new and old fans, and do this as long as we can.” The power of manifestation is real because the next day, The Beaches announced that the Blame My Ex Tour is extending to additional US and European tour dates. Blame My Ex takes you through a healing journey of a breakup, in which you feel you’re connected and confiding with your closest pals who are somehow submerged in your subconscious. Naturally, the only next step would be to wrap up this post-breakup chapter of your life by seeing The Beaches take this project on the road, singing your broken and mending hearts out, and participating in much-deserved group healing.
Photographer: Becca Hamel & Meg Moon
