Clash the Truth

Dustin Payseur wrote and recorded a demo of the entire album in his apartment in New York before recording it professionally in a studio. The recording of Clash the Truth was finished at the Excello Recording studio in the fall of 2012. Recording was briefly interrupted when Payseur's studio was flooded during Hurricane Sandy.{{cite web | url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/beach_fossils_talk_their_close_call_with_clash_truth | title=Beach Fossils Talk Their Close Call with 'Clash the Truth' | publisher=Exclaim! | date=February 20, 2013 | access-date=December 9, 2017 | author=Lindsay, Cam}}

Clash the Truth featured new drummer Tommy Gardner, who allowed for a faster, more energetic sound than in previous releases. It also features collaborations with Kazu Makino of Blonde Redhead and Jack Tatum of Wild Nothing.{{cite web | url=http://www.capturedtracks.com/beach-fossils | title=Beach Fossils' Dustin Payseur on Inexplicably Rowdy Fans and Working With Blonde Redhead | website=Washington City Paper | date=March 1, 2013 | access-date=December 9, 2017 | last=Higgins |first=Reese}}

The artwork used for Clash the Truth, designed by Captured Tracks founder Mike Sniper and Dustin Payseur, features black and white stills taken from the experimental video Three Transitions (1973) directed by Peter Campus.{{cite web|url=http://artofalbumcovers.tumblr.com/post/81340688016/beach-fossils-clash-the-truth-2013-from-peter|title=art of album covers|website=Artofalbumcovers.tumblr.com|access-date=April 3, 2019}}

Clash the Truth received mostly positive reviews from critics, some noting the more focused themes of adolescence and nostalgia as a sign of growth and maturity while continuing to refine their sound and style.

{{Music ratings

| MC = 68/100{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/clash-the-truth/beach-fossils |title=Clash the Truth by Beach Fossils |publisher=Metacritic | access-date=December 9, 2017}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|last=Sendra|first=Tim|title=Beach Fossils Clash the Truth Album Reviews, Songs & More|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/clash-the-truth-mw0002468180|access-date=June 14, 2022|publisher=AllMusic}}

| rev2 = Consequence

| rev2Score = C+{{cite web|last=Mejia|first=Paula|date=February 21, 2013|title=Album Review: Beach Fossils – Clash the Truth|url=https://consequence.net/2013/02/album-review-beach-fossils-clash-the-truth/|access-date=June 14, 2022|website=Consequence}}

| rev3 = Drowned in Sound

| rev3Score = 8/10{{cite web|last=Gourlay|first=Dom|date=February 14, 2013|title=Album Review: Beach Fossils - Clash The Truth|url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/17468/reviews/4146030|access-date=June 14, 2022|website=Drowned in Sound|archive-date=June 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618073548/https://drownedinsound.com/releases/17468/reviews/4146030|url-status=dead}}

| rev4 = Paste

| rev4Score = 7.4/10{{cite web|last=Cosores|first=Philip|date=February 12, 2013|title=Beach Fossils: Clash the Truth |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/beach-fossils/beach-fossils-clash-the-truth/|access-date=June 14, 2022|website=Paste}}

| rev5 = Pitchfork

| rev5Score = 5.8/10{{cite web|last=Cohen|first=Ian|date=February 18, 2013|title=Beach Fossils: Clash the Truth|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17621-beach-fossils-clash-the-truth/|access-date=July 7, 2013|website=Pitchfork}}

| rev6 = Sputnikmusic

| rev6Score = 3.7/5{{cite web|last=joshuatree|date=February 17, 2013|title=Beach Fossils - Clash the Truth (album review )|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/55118/Beach-Fossils-Clash-the-Truth/|access-date=June 14, 2022|publisher=Sputnikmusic}}

}}

In a lukewarm review for Pitchfork, Ian Cohen wrote that "The New York City dream pop band's second album sees them introduce a darker, more socially aware edge, though it trades their former instrumental rigidity for amiable, mid-fi college rock jangle." Writing for Consequence, reviewer Paula Mejia rated the album a C+, stating that "Beach Fossils’ Dustin Payseur strays from the syrupy reverb typically dominating Beach Fossils’ breezy aesthetic, trading it in for torrential guitars and thrashing drums on his band's restless sophomore release." She continued with "With Clash the Truth, Beach Fossils are driving away from the blinding sunlight and toward a shadowed elsewhere. What matters is that their eyes are trained forward."

In a similar review, The Quietus writer Ryan Foley commented on their production and songwriting by writing "Clash The Truth follows that 'Beach Fossils' template to a tee. What separates the album from previous releases is its robust sound." while also commending this approach by writing "It's like Payseur went from doodling on Post-it notes to emblazoning missiles across the sky... In 'Careless' and 'Crashed Out', nervy, guitar jangle and punchy percussion come together in breakneck instrumental outros unlike anything Payseur has recorded previously. The songs do more than simply breathe new life into guitar pop – they snatch its breath away."{{cite web|last=Foley|first=Ryan|date=April 5, 2013|title=Beach Fossils|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/11867-beach-fossils-clash-the-truth-review|access-date=April 3, 2019|website=The Quietus}}

{{track listing| all_writing = Dustin Payseur, except where noted

| title1 = Clash the Truth

| length1 = 2:03

| title2 = Generational Synthetic

| length2 = 2:44

| title3 = Sleep Apnea

| length3 = 2:26

| title4 = Careless

| writer4 = Tommy Gardner, Payseur

| length4 = 3:03

| title5 = Modern Holiday

| length5 = 1:21

| title6 = Taking Off

| length6 = 3:09

| title7 = Shallow

| writer7 = Payseur, Jack Tatum

| length7 = 3:17

| title8 = Burn You Down

| writer8 = Gardner, Payseur

| length8 = 2:57

| title9 = Birthday

| length9 = 2:52

| title10 = In Vertigo

| note10 = featuring Kazu Makino

| length10 = 3:20

| title11 = Brighter

| length11 = 0:33

| title12 = Caustic Cross

| length12 = 2:41

| title13 = Ascension

| length13 = 1:30

| title14 = Crashed Out

| length14 = 3:25

}}

Source:{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/26446793-Beach-Fossils-Clash-The-Truth/image/SW1hZ2U6OTIyMjg2Mzk= |title=Beach Fossils – Clash The Truth |website=Discogs.com |access-date=March 27, 2025}}

• Dustin Payseur - vocals, guitar, bass, production, art direction
• Tommy Gardner - drums, additional guitar and Wurlitzer on "Sleep Apnea"
• Ben Greenberg - production, mixing, additional guitar on "Ascension"
• Kazu Makino - additional vocals on "In Vertigo"
• Katie Garcia - additional vocals on "Caustic Cross"
• Joe Lambert - mastering
• Peter Campus - artwork images
• Mike Sniper - art direction
• Ryan McCardle - design and layout

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Category:2013 albums

Category:Captured Tracks albums

Category:Beach Fossils albums