A Beacon School is the dream pop project of New York-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Patrick J. Smith. The songs on releases such as his full-length debut, Cola, alternate between uptempo, jangly pop nuggets, lush shoegaze, and intricately arranged electronic soundscapes.
Smith began making music as A Beacon School in 2009. A home-recorded demo single was released in 2011, and a self-titled EP by a full-band lineup appeared near the end of 2012. Smith notably played with bands such as Modern Rivals and Bluffing, and currently works with Parquet Courts' Max Savage as part of Maxband.
In 2018, A Beacon School's Cola was released by Grind Select. After receiving positive press and slowly gaining a worldwide following, an expanded vinyl edition of Cola was released in 2019 in conjunction with Fat Possum’s ‘House Arrest’ imprint, amassing over 50 million streams, tours with El Ten Eleven and Ruby Haunt, and syncs on critically acclaimed shows such as Hacks and Shrinking.
Now back with his first full-length in five years, yoyo (2023), a follow-up to Cola, Smith takes his sound even further with 10 tracks that are an untainted exploration of the unconscious artistic self and the oscillation of time.
