Beach Life-in-Death

"Beach Life-in-Death" is a song written by American rock musician Will Toledo, that was originally released on Twin Fantasy (2011), his sixth album under his Car Seat Headrest alias. After Car Seat Headrest expanded to become a four-piece band, the song was re-recorded and re-released on December 13, 2017 as the lead single for their album Twin Fantasy (Face to Face) (2018), which is a complete studio re-recording of the original album.

"Beach Life-in-Death"
Single by Car Seat Headrest
from the album Twin Fantasy (Face to Face)
Released	December 13, 2017 (2017-12-13)
Genre	Indie rock
Length	13:19
Label	Matador
Songwriter(s)	Will Toledo
Producer(s)	Will Toledo
Car Seat Headrest singles chronology
"War Is Coming (If You Want It)" (2017) "Beach Life-in-Death" (2017) "Nervous Young Inhumans" (2018)

"Beach Life-in-Death"
Song by Car Seat Headrest
from the album Twin Fantasy
Released	November 2, 2011 (2011-11-02)
Genre	Indie rock lo-fi
Length	12:10
Label	Self-released
Songwriter(s)	Will Toledo
Producer(s)	Will Toledo

Background

According to Toledo, the idea of writing a song longer than ten minutes was influenced by the music of progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Toledo would walk around Williamsburg, Virginia thinking about how the different parts of the song would fit together, which contrasted with his songwriting process for previous Car Seat Headrest projects. The writing process for "Beach Life-in-Death" also influenced his songwriting process for the rest of the songs on Twin Fantasy, saying:

"I wasn't thinking about music unless I was literally working on it. Planning out “Beach Life-in-Death” and working on it was definitely where the palette of the album took place, where it was going to be this sort of carefully crafted thing that reflected a larger plan, not just a collection of songs."

During the writing and recording of Twin Fantasy, Toledo released demos and snippets of the album's songs on his Tumblr, including "Beach Life-in-Death". "Beach Life-in-Death" was first officially released on November 2, 2011, on Bandcamp along with the rest of Twin Fantasy. Toledo remastered the 2011 version of Twin Fantasy in 2013, and noted that "Beach Life-in-Death" was the most different because of added bass.

After signing with Matador Records and completing their tenth studio album Teens of Denial (2016), sessions for the re-recording of Twin Fantasy began in mid-2016, and finished in mid-2017. The re-recording of "Beach Life-in-Death" was surprise-released on December 13, 2017, causing much speculation that a complete re-recording of Twin Fantasy would be released soon. A few weeks later, an Amazon listing would confirm the project. Toledo later confirmed that "Nervous Young Inhumans" was intended to be the lead single, however since Matador wanted to wait until January to announce the album, he asked if he could release the new "Beach Life-in-Death" with no prior announcement or explanation. The cover art for the single was drawn by Hojin "Stella" Jung, who also did the CD booklet art for Twin Fantasy (Face to Face).

Composition

"Beach Life-in-Death" is an indie rock song split into three distinct parts, which is shown in the lyric booklets for both versions of Twin Fantasy. The first and third parts are highly energetic and increase in energy, while the second part has a slower tempo and is quieter. The song features many lyrical motifs that appear throughout the song and in each part, such as "The ocean washed over your grave", and "Last night I dreamed he was trying to kill you/I woke up and I was trying to kill you". Lyrically, the 2011 and 2018 versions of the song are very similar, with the most major lyrical difference being in the second part, which replaces a verse about Aubrey Beardsley's art with lines that Toledo wrote for his cover of "Ivy" by Frank Ocean.

Reception

2011 version

Steve Hyden of Uproxx, while writing a guide to all Car Seat Headrest projects, described the track as the most stunning work Twin Fantasy had to offer. Moreover, they described it as a "harrowing psychodrama that recalls how the narrator “pretended to be drunk when I came out to my friends” before exploring the fantasies he now has about murdering his boyfriend." Overall, they noted that the track, a "long, exploratory song composed of epic narratives and multiple musical movements" would become a staple of Toledo's sound in the future.

2017 version

The re-recording received acclaim from critics and the public. Sasha Geffen of Pitchfork praised the single, stating that instead of "smoothing over" the original, it instead "reinvigorates" it. Elaborating, they state that the track "hits all the same itchy, unnerved points that Toledo usually favors in his sprawling rock guitar". They also state that the track is split into three unique sections, "like a matryoshka doll of rock tropes". Lyrically, they state that it "oscillate[d] between the mundanities of staying alive—eating, sleeping, working, eating again—and the jitters of negotiating a queer identity and relationship". Overall, they state that in "Beach Life-in-Death", Toledo embodies making your skin crawl "with the kind of unhinged ferocity that only fits inside three songs wrapped into one."

The A.V. Club was also favorable to the re-recording, stating that Toledo's "fiery energy" remains intact, describing the track as a "jaw-dropping series of gear shifts". Collin Brennan of Consequence believed "Beach Life-in Death" to be the staple highlight of Twin Fantasy (Face to Face). They stated that the track "finds the young songwriter grappling with a queer identity amidst a loose, three-part structure that provides just enough support to withstand a storm of guitar solos, quasi-spoken monologues, and verses collapsing into bridges collapsing into codas". Overall, believing it to be a "breathtaking composition that demands multiple listens and rewards in each turn".

Writing for The Guardian, Michael Hann believed the track showcased Toledo trying to "unpack his confusion and bitterness and resentment, with swoops into devastating clarity". Hannah Vettese of Record Collector used "Beach Life-in-Death" as an example of how Toledo's lyrics have become "far clearer in the mix", elaborating by stating his ability to capture "angst, fury, depression, and joy of human life". Tom Brewster of The Edge described "Beach Life-in-Death" as lyrically, being "cripplingly introspective" with "detailed lyrics" that pick apart "both unrequited love and the terrors of an increasingly modern age with a charmingly awkward flourish". they described the track as evolving from "bedroom rock" to an anthemic ballad of "teenage confusion". He also complemented the guitar work of Ethan Ives, describing them as sounding "strained" and "squealing"

Live performances and covers

"Beach Life-in-Death" has been a staple of the band's setlist, with the song often closing their live performances. It is featured as the last track on Commit Yourself Completely (2019) and the second-to-last track on Faces From The Masquerade (2023), the band's two live albums for Matador.

American indie rock band Glass Beach covered the track as a standalone single on January 7, 2021.