Beach Slang’s music can sometimes double as the soundtrack to your favorite teen movie; lead singer James Alex even says that he tends to write his songs as if he’s writing the soundtrack for a John Hughes film. Songs about youth, honesty, first loves, and heartbreak — they’re all the score to your teen years. Flavorwire asked Alex to show us his idea of the perfect teen movie soundtrack. Here’s what he sent us, along with a handy Spotify playlist.
TEEN MOVIE SOUNDTRACK
1. “Kick Out the Jams” – MC5 2. “Shake Some Action” – The Flamin’ Groovies 3. “Back of My Hand (I’ve Got Your Number)” – The Jags* 4. “Heaven” – The Psychedelic Furs 5. “Blank Generation” – Richard Hell 6. “Wild in the Streets” – Circle Jerks 7. “She Talks in Stereo” – Gary Myrick & The Figures 8. “Thirteen” – Big Star 9. “Looking For a Kiss” – New York Dolls 10. “Sonic Reducer” – Dead Boys 11. “Radio” – Teenage Fanclub 12. “Local Girls” – Graham Parker 13. “Born to Lose” – Johnny Thunders
*Unfortunately, The Jags aren’t available on Spotify, but you can listen to the great song here:
Beach Slang’s new album, The Things We Do To Find People Like Us, is out now on Polyvinyl; you can read our interview with James Alex here.