Jerry, at the Beach's Debut LP Is a Vivid Display of Isolation and Idealism
L-R Ethan Flynn & Josh Russell, photo courtesy of the artist
With a swelling mix of indie rock and ambient sound sampled directly from the Pine Barrens, the collaborative efforts of Ethan Flynn and Josh Russell bring us their debut self-titled album, Jerry, at the Beach. The 7-tracker sits somewhere between an EP and an LP, with a heavy attention to detail and found sounds. The two spent the better part of the last year intentionally isolated in the south Jersey wilderness, waiting for inspiration to organically strike. In the true spirit of DIY, this album emphasizes a rough cut aesthetic, ultra-specific and conversational lyrics, and the joys of being two idealistic 21-year-olds.
The backstory behind this first album’s recording process is so interesting and Walden-esque like I said when we talked earlier. Let’s get into that. I haven’t talked to any band that’s totally isolated themselves to that extent to record anything, even given the current state that we’re in.
Josh: I have a camper in the middle of the woods, and I have a mobile recording set up in there. This album is seven songs, and instead of recording this in my house or paying for studio time, it was just easier to record in the woods where it’s quiet. There’s not much disturbance.
Ethan: And it’s nice to be able to take a break and step outside and not be on a busy street or like, in front of a McDonald’s.
Emily: This was last summer, so you guys quarantined before you had to actually quarantine.
Ethan: Yeah, we were prepared.
Emily: What’s the story with the band name? It doesn’t use either of your names.
Josh: It doesn’t really mean anything, we just think it sounds good. We just sort of were thinking of different names, and we thought, “We need a first name, a place, and a comma.” So, Jerry at the Beach.
Jerry, at the Beach, photo courtesy of the artist
Has quarantine affected your recording or creative processes, or does it feel relatively the same since you’re sort of used to that sense of an isolated workspace?
Josh: It’s honestly made us record more because lately we’ve been tracking in the camper and in my attic. It hasn’t changed a lot with us but it’s changed the fact that we haven’t been able to play any shows. And that’s the same with everyone, not just us. Now we have this backlog of music that we’re just waiting to put out.
Emily: I’ve talked to a lot of bands - and I even felt this way myself - who dove into content when quarantine hit. It made the most sense to be over-productive with all of the free time, but then by the time, like, April hit, I never wanted to even look at another interview ever again. Burn out is so real and I’m glad you guys are taking advantage of the free time and working your creative process into it without over-extending yourselves.
Josh: We have a couple different friends who have bands in North Jersey, around William Patterson where we go to school, and everyone’s process through this has just been different. For us, it’s just been more isolation, which we’ve already been used to.
Do you have any standout memories from this last year of recording? When you think back to putting this album together, what’s something personal that you’re going to remember that listeners might not know about?
Ethan: How hot the camper was. We’d literally be dripping.
Josh: My computer fan sounded like a jet engine. We’d hook the camper up to an outlet at the campsite so we could run the AC, but it would be so much that it would trip the site’s breaker, so everything would shut off, and we’d have to do that like three times a day.
Ethan: Then we’d drive to Wawa and get hot coffee for some reason.
Emily: I love asking personal questions like that. Another band I asked this to painted a whole picture of recording their album out in California and waking up really early on Easter morning and using a sample of the church bells they heard in one of their tracks. I love tangible things like that that give a song such unsuspecting depth. That one typically prompts a lot of responses that listeners wouldn’t get based on just the sounds alone.
Ethan: Yeah I don’t know why we’d choose hot coffee but.
Jerry, at the Beach, photo courtesy of the artist
What have you been listening to through quarantine?
Josh: Motorhead.
Ethan: Oasis.
Josh: Really intrusive hard rock is fun. I just finished “Fell In Love With a Band,” the book about the White Stripes, so I’ve been relistening to them a lot. A lot of Oasis, yeah.
Ethan: The Beatles are always in there. Guided By Voices. Sonic Youth.
Emily: Any favorite Philly bands?
Josh: Hop Along is great. Alex G.
Ethan: Marah is a great one from the 2000’s. They have this album called Kinds in Philly that’s really awesome.
Josh: I like Pine Grove, even though they’re from Jersey.
Emily: Yeah, what’s the Jersey scene like?
Josh: North Jersey is where it’s all happening. South Jersey is just an extension of Philly. There are a lot of cover bands that play down the shore. And then there’s us out in the woods.
Ethan: Just screaming.
Josh: Yeah just us screaming. There’s a big vapor wave scene in North Jersey. Lots of dream pop, bedroom pop.
Ethan: Lots of R&B.
Emily: Aside from my friend’s project, Bucolic, I’m not sure if I could name a Jersey band for you. I’m deeply in Philly.
Ethan: Bruce Springsteen.
Can you build me a playlist of what you were listening to while you were working on this album?
Josh: The White Album, Alex G, Ben Gibbard, Death Cab. The song “Eddie, Dean, and Me” is inspired by “Passenger’s Seat.”
Ethan: Last summer I was listening to a lot of old country and blues music. So that’s in there somewhere. The Beatles were the big thing for Jerry 1.
How specific do these songs get?
Josh: It’s always specific. Every song that we both write always comes from somewhere. Generally they’re not a vague list of words.
Ethan: Or even based on a feeling. They’re people and places.
Josh: It’s all very personal. We’ll mention names outright.
Ethan: “Eddie, Dean, and Me” is just about hanging out with friends.
Jerry, at the Beach, photo courtesy of the artist
Since you do this in your own writing - if someone were to write a super specific song about the two of you, what would you want it to say?
Ethan: That would be fun to hear it.
Josh: It would probably say, “Why are you so loud???” But - we like to drink, we like to have fun. So maybe something like that.
Ethan: We don’t have a lot of enemies, so I don’t think we’d get a diss track.
Josh: That would also be fun.
Emily: Have you ever written one?
Josh: Not really.
Ethan: Yeah, I wouldn’t label it a diss track, but there are songs of airing our grievances.
Josh: I don’t think you can tell who they’re about. That’s cruel. But if they’re songs about missing someone, those are more blunt. But it’s fun to vent, especially when it’s melodic.
Ethan: Writing sadder songs feels like therapy. It’s hard because putting your feelings into it is tough, but then it feels good in the end because you got a great song out of it.
Emily: I think writing happy songs is really hard. It’s difficult not to come across as preachy or forced.
Josh: It’s hard to come off in a genuine way, but it’s awesome when you do it.
Going out on a limb because you aren’t a Philly band, but this is one of my favorite questions to ask in an interview. So we’ll see if this works. If you were stranded on a desert island with three local bands, who would they be and why? I’ll accept Philly or Jersey submissions.
Josh: I guess it’ll be really basic. Like Alex G, Dr. Dog, and Hop Along. I don’t really know a lot of the local bands. I guess Hall & Oates counts too.
Ethan: I would like to be stranded with Hall & Oates. But they might weigh us down because they’re old and we’d have to take care of them.
Emily: You also have to think of it in terms of who’s going to keep you alive. Who’s going to build you a boat? Not just because you like their music.
Josh: Pine Grove’s woodsy, so they probably know how to forage. Bruce is a leader for sure. He’s gonna take care of us.
Jerry, at the Beach will be succeeded by two more full-length releases this year, each one heavier and more rock-focused than the last. We’ll get one LP with each change of the seasons, and whether there’s some intention behind that or not, Ethan and Josh have certainly carved out a specific, aesthetic-based niche within their listening space. You can stream the first release on Bandcamp below, and the rest will hit all other major streaming platforms later this year.