

^ "Album Review: Beach Fossils – Clash the Truth"."Beach Fossils' Dustin Payseur on Inexplicably Rowdy Fans and Working With Blonde Redhead". "Beach Fossils Talk Their Close Call with 'Clash the Truth' ". ^ a b Lindsay, Cam (February 20, 2013)."Beach Fossils Frontman Dustin Payseur Knows Who He Is, And Embraces It". ^ Sundermann, Eric (February 20, 2013).The songs do more than simply breathe new life into guitar pop – they snatch its breath away." In 'Careless' and 'Crashed Out', nervy, guitar jangle and punchy percussion come together in breakneck instrumental outros unlike anything Payseur has recorded previously. 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 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 matters is that their eyes are trained forward."

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 of Sound, 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. Reception Ĭlash 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. 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. It also features collaborations with Kazu Makino of Blonde Redhead and Jack Tatum of Wild Nothing. Ĭlash the Truth featured new drummer Tommy Gardner, who allowed for a faster, more energetic sound than in previous releases. Recording was briefly interrupted when Payseur's studio was flooded during Hurricane Sandy. The recording of Clash the Truth was finished at the Excello Recording studio in the fall of 2012. Dustin Payseur wrote and recorded a demo of the entire album in his apartment in New York before recording it professionally in a studio.
