Philly Collective Besphrenz Does Summer Justice With “Beach Haven” EP

| Posted on |

Philly collective Besphrenz does summer justice with their new Beach Haven EP. 

The best teams in sports history always have a solid mix of stars, up-and-comers, role players, and coaching. For example, take the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies: Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Jayson Werth were their established stars, Cole Hamels was a 24-year-old phenom on the rise, and then several role players fit in perfectly to make a World Series’ roster. Coaching legend Charlie Manuel, of course, kept everything in line from the dugout.

Now, another Philly group has replicated the championship sports recipe, only in the music world. That group, Besphrenz, took on summer with their latest EP — titled Beach Haven — and hit it out of the park. Puns aside, the true magic of the project is in the people themselves: real friends, real artists, and ultimately, real camaraderie.

Like the 2008 Phillies, the roster of folks involved on Beach Haven is wide-ranging, to say the least. From verified acts like Matt McAndrew and Asher Roth, to rising stars CJ Smith and JBoogie, the project goes in several directions and hits on every one of them. Rob Devious, the group’s Charlie Manuel, handled everything on production side.

Possibly the biggest breakout, though, comes from Tay Jones. Jones, with a sound similar to Post Malone, appears on four of the project’s five songs and along with a breezy verse from Roth, tears down the house with the radio-ready opening track “Beach House” (below).

While all songs have a relatable summer vibe, other highlights from Beach Haven include the enjoyable “Lightning Bug” by Smith and McAndrew and “Lost in a Wave” by Jones, Roth, JBoogie, and McAndrew. In addition, a certain kudos needs to be given for the album cover. Looking beyond Rob Devious in the foreground, you can see CJ Smith getting tattooed in the background.

The group trekked from Philadelphia to Long Beach Island to make the project, recording nearly everywhere their rented Beach Haven, NJ house would allow. Possibly the most memorable line from the EP comes from Jones, who, in reference to their beach house, denies entry to others — (With your hand out looking for an invite, no). Clearly, only the Besphrenz are allowed.

You can find the entire EP on Spotify here.