Formed in California by singer-guitarist Miranda Zipse and drummer Kim Sollecito, Miranda and the Beat began life as a duo before an impromptu coastal shift to Brooklyn found them picking up Dylan Fernandez on Farfisa, and after a few different bass players vacated the position, grabbing Alvin Jackson, who currently strengthens the foundation. Inspired by ’60s garage and ’70s punk with nods to soul/R&B, their self-titled full-length hits stores on electric blue transparent vinyl and digital May 26 through the Ernst Jenning Record Co. and King Khan’s Khannibalism label.
Having issued a handful of digital singles since 2018 and one vinyl 45 for Third Man in 2020, Miranda and the Beat deliver a solidly contempo blend of the styles mentioned in the intro above. There’s no mistaking the garage roots and the punk edge, but it’s just as clear the sound essentially postdates every garage-punk revival that’s made the history books into the 21st century.
The classique-moderne thrust is immediately heard in album opener “Sweat,” which hits hard with a big beat, a riff descended from late ’50s-early ’60s twang (think Wray, Eddy, and Dale), waves of Farfisa and shouted vocals swaddled in beaucoup echo. But the highpoint of it all is the boot of raucousness in the guitar break and the accompanying soulfulness at the microphone.
“Out of My Head” is less harried, with large bass and a pop hook to the songwriting that harkens back to late ’70s NYC. Importantly, they keep the guitar raw in mix, as Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs serves as the record’s producer. But they waste no time in revving up the tempo, as “Concrete” is a compact dose of the blistering jitters that should please fans of pre-hardcore Cali punk at its wildest.
The stylistic range is impressive, with “I’m Not Your Baby” flaunting ’60s girl-group roots without overstating the connection (same goes for the flourishes of soul/R&B). And the guitar is just huge throughout the track and across the record for that matter, but it’s Fernandez’s keyboard the shines in “Not My Guy,” which slows it down and taps into the same strain of R&R soul ache that permeates the work of touring partners King Khan and BBQ Show.
“ODR” swings us back into hyped-up pogo scorch as it wraps up in echo overload in under a minute, segueing into “When Are You Coming Home,” which slows the pace as it showcases more sturdy pop songwriting fundamentals. That is, Miranda and the Beat’s sidestep genericism with memorable tunes, which goes a long way in a crowded musical field.
They attain a fine instrumental balance in “Too Afraid” and after that, the soul-punk edge gets sharpened in the rousing “Let You Go,” which would’ve delivered the record a fine finale, except Miranda and the Beat had one more song up their sleeve, the stripped back strummer with vocal “Don’t Feel the Shame.” That one seems to touch upon Zipse and Sollecito’s California days as a duo. It’s a sweet end note to a solid debut album where the attitude gets backed up with strong songs and stronger playing.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
B+
