Forget Beach House, wave goodbye to Beach Fossils and leave the Beach Boys well in the past, as there’s a new sandy shored act making some serious waves (yeah?) in the music industry.
Henry Armbracht is Beach Weather. His music is as dreamy and hypnotic as his moniker suggests. He describes his work as ‘music for late nights’ and the wistfulness and sense of reflection prevalent in his sounds mean we couldn’t agree more.
We speak to him about when he decided to become a musician, the sonic roots of Alabama and what plans he’s got in store for his incredibly bright future.
***
Hey Henry, please introduce yourself.
Hello! I’m Henry Armbrecht from Mobile, Alabama. I’m 21 years old and I make music as Beach Weather.
Describe your music in three words.
Distant, understated, hazy
How long have you been making music?
I started playing guitar when I was around 11 or 12, but Beach Weather is only about a year-and-a-half old.
What was it that got you into it in the first place?
I’m not sure actually, I guess just growing up listening to music. My mom was always really into bands like The Cure and The Smiths and would play their records in the car. No one in my family is really musical so that’s all that comes to mind.
Who have influenced your dreamy sound?
Jónsi and Sigur Rós have been consistent influences, as well as newer stuff like Youth Lagoon and Washed Out. I’m also really inspired by film scores.
What’s your touring schedule been like?
I’m in college right now and I also work almost full-time at a law firm, so touring has been pretty minimal. I did a small tour around the southeast in August with my friend Edward Appleby (edwardappleby.bandcamp.com check him out!) and we’re doing another one in January. I’m definitely looking forward to doing more when I don’t have to plan around my school schedule.
You’re from Alabama and when we, uneducated British types, think of that part of America we tend to think of blues and country music. Does the music scene not adhere to those stereotypes anymore?
Haha, that type of music is still really popular around here and you can hear blues influences from local artists of a lot of different genres. I thinks it’s something that’s probably here to stay, but it hasn’t really had an effect on my music as far as I can tell.
What music are you currently into?
Move In Spectrums, the new album by Au Revoir Simone is basically on repeat right now. Also Kanye west, always.
Do they have an impact on the sounds you create?
Definitely. Au Revoir Simone use a lot of old Yamaha and Casio keyboards which is something I did on basically every song on Cascadia.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m working on my second EP right now. I’m hoping to get a single out before tour in January and release the EP early next year. Other than that, I’m just trying to finish up college so I can devote more of my time to music.
For more information check out his Facebook and Bandcamp pages.