Album Review: Halloween Beach Party by Plastic Flamingos

Plastic Flamingos are a four piece band from Durham, North Carolina. Playing a mix of summer inspired pop punk with hints of 90s skate punk and power pop, the band who consist of Brian Summer (vocals/guitar), Elliot Schelske (guitar), Ryan Quinlan (bass) and Kevin Gavagan (drums) released their debut album Halloween Beach Party over halloween weekend of 2020.

Halloween Beach Party begins with You Can’t Spell Luau Without U. I was surprised to hear such a sad song to start the album. It’s about hoping to see someone at a party and being bummed out that they’re not there. Musically the track is quite slow and at times pretty crunchy but Brian’s high vocals give it a pop edge that I enjoyed. This feels like a very good indication of what to expect from the rest of the album. The next song is titled Guam, Baby, Guam and it really jumps out of the starting blocks. It’s a much more up-tempo track than the previous song and injects some real energy into the album. On the song, Plastic Flamingos sing about wanting to escape from the problems and responsibilities that come up in everyday life and head to the beach for some relaxation. I’m sure pretty much everyone reading this has related to this at some point in their lives, some of us probably every day.

The third track is Boardwalk Dairy Queen. This is a sweet song about love at first sight. This song is all about the lyrics. Brian does a fantastic job of making the lyrics feel visual; it’s very easy to imagine the movie of this song. The band have also managed to make the song feel quite urgent as well. I put this down to some chugging guitars and a pounding drumbeat. There’s also a nice surprise when the band get a ukulele out to add to the sweetness of the song. Up next is Heatwave. This track is about enjoying hot summers days with your friends and wondering when it will be possible to do so again. I’m not sure whether or not this song was written pre or post Covid-19 rearing its ugly little head but it’s definitely relatable either way. I miss seeing pals a lot so definitely get what Plastic Flamingos are talking about here. I’m not sure I’ve seen a sadder song title than Drink In My Hand, Tears In My Eyes in a long time. It’s one of the heavier and more emotional tracks on Halloween Beach Party. It’s about moving away from home and looking back on those times with fond memories. It was interesting to hear this sadder side of Plastic Flamingos.

Shipwrecked is a song about recovering from some mental health issues. It’s about trying to find your way back to your normal but not knowing the way there. I’m always all for bands talking about mental health so full credit to Plastic Flamingos for that. I feel like I’ve spoken about these songs being relatable a lot in this review and I’m going to again here – it’s relatable. The use of metaphors is magnificent as well. The penultimate song is titled Caribbean Love. The opening of the song weirdly reminds me of Where Have You Been? by Reel Big Fish. That might just be me though. Despites its name, Caribbean Love feels like quite a sad and melancholic song. During the track Brian sings about wanting to escape to somewhere lovely in the Caribbean with the person you love rather than being stuck somewhere cold and miserable. If it was me I’d probably moan about it being too warm but I’m a moody goth who hates sunshine. The final track is the album’s title track, Halloween Beach Party. This is a fun and uplifting way to finish the album. It’s a pop punk track that is guaranteed to put a massive smile on your face. I imagine it would be the set closer for the band. It’s about meeting up with all your friends to have a spooky party at the beach. It’s played at a faster tempo than anything else we've heard so far and really ensures that the album finishes on an energetic note.

What really drew me to this album was just how relatable a lot of the songs are. This will make the album accessible to a lot of people. I’m so impressed with the lyrics throughout the entire album. Musically it’s fun and breezy, if you don’t want to get too deep into the lyrics and just have a good time you can do that too. #PlasticFlamingosForFest19

As a little treat, Brian recorded a couple of acoustic songs for a CPRW project that sadly didn’t get off the ground. Check it out below.

Stream and download Halloween Beach Party on Bandcamp here.

Like Plastic Flamingos on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.