I became a fan of The Beaches this past summer after seeing them open for Louis Tomlinson in Miami, and honestly, discovering them that way made me appreciate Blame My Ex even more. I went into that show not knowing a whole lot about them, and somehow walked out with a new band to obsess over. 😂 Listening to Blame My Ex now feels like getting a much better understanding of what makes The Beaches so fun in the first place. This album has so much attitude, personality, and confidence without feeling like it’s trying too hard. It’s messy, sarcastic, emotional, catchy, and completely unafraid to have fun with heartbreak. “Blame Brett” was obviously the song that pulled me in the most. There’s something so ridiculously catchy about it, but underneath all the humor and confidence, you can still hear the frustration of trying to move on from someone. “What’s Killing You” and “Edge of the Earth” show a slightly more vulnerable side of the band, while songs like “Shower Beer” bring back that carefree, chaotic energy that makes them so entertaining. What I really like about this album is that it doesn’t take heartbreak too seriously. There’s anger, there’s sadness, there’s pettiness, but there’s also humor. Sometimes you don’t need a dramatic breakup ballad and sometimes you just need to scream along to a song with your friends and laugh about the person who broke your heart. And knowing how much energy The Beaches have live makes these songs hit differently for me. After seeing them perform in Miami, I can practically hear the crowd singing along while listening to the album. Their music has that rare quality where you can enjoy it through your headphones, but you can also immediately imagine yourself screaming the lyrics at a concert. As someone who only became a fan this past summer, I’m obviously coming to Blame My Ex later than some of their longtime fans. But maybe that’s what makes discovering it so enjoyable for me. I’m getting to experience an album that helped define their sound while already knowing just how much personality they bring to the stage. Blame My Ex isn’t perfect, but I don’t think it needs to be. It’s fun, loud, honest, and incredibly easy to replay. More than anything, it made me understand why The Beaches have built such a passionate fanbase. I may have discovered The Beaches because they were opening a Louis Tomlinson show in Miami, but Blame My Ex is one of the albums that made me realize I wasn’t just going to be a casual listener. I actually became a fan. And honestly? I’m still wondering how I managed to sleep on them for this long.