Okay, the rise of this sad Gen Z kid genre is either going to be another era of absolute emo phase chaos or it’s going to shut down pop-punk forever — there is absolutely no in-between. However, if Alexx Bean’s new single “Castles” is any indication of which way this will go, then we’re thinking the new norm of Alt-Rock is here to stay.
Bean dropped the new single on February 4th, around three years after his debut single “Young Love.” The new song means a much more mature and polished sound for Bean who does his own writing, recording and mixing. The DIY musician hits the sweet spot between nostalgic late 90s/early 2000s depression-music and the 2022 fresh take on pop-punk. Bean has two major geographic influences that blend clearly in his music: his hometown of Atlanta and his new New York City daydream. He gives us the type of music we’d expect from a night out in Brooklyn that ends at everyone’s favorite venue — The Knitting Factory.
Lucky enough, you don’t have to just casually stumble upon his music on a weird cross-borough bender. Instead, we’ve got the scoop for you right here.
Bean says he first became mesmerized by music when he found a burned CD-R of Green Day’s American Idiot, which explains the clear edgy influence in his sound. In fact, the riffs in that song are what inspired him to pick up his brother’s guitar and learn the tabs for “Jesus of Suburbia.”
Even now, he’s kept that same “do it yourself” energy up since. He says his writing process is typically quick, starting on iPhone with voice memos and notes. From beginning to end, he takes it one step at a time, weaving in live elements before focusing on mixing and production. However, on occasion, he works with a producer so he can just focus on the writing and vocals themselves. “The songwriting part is the easiest part of the process for me,” Bean says. “The only time it gets hard is if you’re trying to force something, and usually that song ends up kinda bad.”
Nonetheless, “Castles” is actually uncharacteristic co-write for Bean who worked with Jesse Fink on the track. “He kinda encouraged me to try to incorporate emo-rap into my pop-punk sound and this was the first more emo-rap type song I made,” says Bean.
That emo-rap sound came at a perfect time in the world where artists like Lil Huddy and Maggie Lindemann are making it big. In fact, Bean includes those two artists (among others) as inspiration for his current sound. Plus, he adds that he’s inspired by throwback artists like Green Day and Blink-182. “Biggest dream would be collab with Tom DeLonge and have him produce and co-write one of my albums,” admits Bean.
While he has mad respect for his peers, Bean is setting himself apart. He points out how many of these current e-kid idols switched into the genre rather than being alt-rock musicians initially. “ I’ve always done pop-punk not because it’s the cool thing to do right now but because it is cool period,” he says. His inspiration runs deep into his memories. Bean has always had that emo sound, the more gender-bending elements of pop and rap actually came later rather than the other way around.
“I’m not “playing rockstar” for a release cycle like some of these pop singers and rappers, I am a rockstar,” he says.
“Castles” leave us with that raw Linkin Park feeling. The one that lets you feel the strong beat and the breathy lyrics, but it also transitions into that whiny Blink-182 side of the scene. It may lack that rebellious feeling of Green Day, but it still keeps pace with its pop-punk potential and makes us eager to hear more. If the timeline had aligned, Bean easily could have fit in as a feature on an Avril Lavigne track.
This isn’t the YUNGBLUD type of new-era emo music. It’s something different, more respectful of the nostalgic roots that we grew up with. Bean pays a nod to the electronica that’s really picked up over the decade-long pop explosion: “We have this awesome genre-blurring that started 10 years ago with digital taking over and sounds mixing all over the place.” However, he understands the important and historical role that rock has played, especially in his city.
He says, “I absorbed so much from being in New York City during 2016-2020 because NO ONE was into rock much less pop-punk.” Now, the sold-out State Champs, The Wonder Years, and Chase Atlantic shows in New York during that time may beg to differ on that one, it is true that this song has made a recent resurgence over the past couple of years. It seems this may be the work of Travis Barker who has been coaching a new generation of alt-rock musicians. Independent and unaffiliated from this Barker trend, Bean still masterfully incorporates that classic Blink sound.
Anyway, Bean’s latest release proves to be absolutely promising for his future music. He teases that much more is coming in the future including a seven-episode live acoustic performance series. Plus, we should keep our eyes peeled for tons of new music releases.
Alexx Bean is onto something — and we’re interested to see where he grows from here.
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