Beddy Rays - Do What Ya Wanna (2025) [Hi-Res]

“I’ll take these problems and learn how to solve them,” sings guitarist Jack Van Issum three songs into Beddy Rays’ second album. That casually delivered line could double as a thesis statement for the whole record, which is all about the mounting (and often mundane) difficulties that start popping up in one’s mid-twenties. Considering that this Australian quartet have always been doggedly devoted to having a good time, those pesky tugs of resignation add new layers of pathos to Issum’s croaky vocals and hooky songwriting. Do What Ya Wanna also broadens the band’s sound on both ends of the spectrum, edging into unguarded ballads (“Vices”, “Stay the Same”) and bright jangle (“Red Lights”) while also flashing their spikier formative influences with solid forays into pop punk (“All I Wanna Do”, “Pocket Rocket”). But even the louder tunes don’t shy away from precarious mental health, with Issum lamenting, “I’ve been doin’ myself in” on “Fender”. Most of the songs here are crunchy and catchy enough to make for easy sing-alongs but dig a little deeper and you’ll hear Beddy Rays maturing in real time.