Adam Roth – Down The Shore OST

Again, taking some time to catch up on the things that fell through the cracks of 2021, of which there were many around here. Picking up slack on the archival releases I’ve spun though some of the latest offering from HoZac’s dedicated mapping of power pop and punk’s far flung corners and alongside a live document from Cincinnati’s lost synth-punk early adopters The Dents, the label gives a new life to this lost curio of ‘80s soundtrack fare. The sole collection of songs by Adam Roth, who would serve in some capacities for music direction and associated film music roles, this soundtrack was a gem of power pop that was whisked away to obscurity almost as quickly as it appeared. Roth was brought on to provide music for the film Down the Shore (also known as Beach House), an ‘80s comedy about class tensions between Brooklyn and Philly teens in a shared beach house. The role of the band grew and Adam and his brother formed a band to flesh out some scenes, but the soundtrack proved to be much more than just some filler to keep scenes fresh.

With shades of The Colors, Speedies, Advertising, and De Cylinders, the songs snap with the edge of punk, but quiver between a pop softness and a knuckled beach swagger that pinned Eddie Chochrane to the stereo for decades of youthful summers. It’s clear that Roth never got anywhere near the credit he deserved for putting together such a tight collection on short notice, and the salt in the wound would come from a disagreement with his management that would see most of the pressed copies of the originals dumped in thrift stores out of spite. HoZac restores this gem to its rightful place in the power pop conversation. While I found myself stuck to plenty of late night TV comedy fare, this one escaped my gaze and I’m glad that HoZac scooped this out of the dollar bin purgatory to give it a new life.

Support the artist. Buy it HERE.