"Come To The Beach" with Winnetka Bowling League
By Caitlin Denny
Vacationing may be on halt for most this summer but alternative pop-rockers, Winnetka Bowling League, bring the vacation vibe with their newest single, “Come To The Beach.” The song will be featured on their upcoming EP, Congratulations, which will be released on September 18 via RCA Records.
Frontman Michael Koma has an extensive catalog under his belt, having worked with Bruce Springsteen, Tiësto, Ryan Tedder, RAC, The Knocks, Shania Twain, and Kelly Clarkson, among others; he even penned the 2013 Grammy-winning hit “Clarity” performed by Zedd and Foxes. After realizing that he wanted to shy away from producing EDM music, Koma decided to start his own project, Winnetka Bowling League, in 2018. “Come To the Beach,” and the entire Congratulations EP, were written and produced by him.
With the track’s catchy chorus, “Come to the beach, Chill by the sea, See how your heavy life looks from the coastline,” Koma captures what it would be like to lay on a beach with a drink in hand, having not a care in the world. Sonically, there is a contrast between the happy-go-lucky lyrics and the heavy guitars in the chorus, and yet, the combination blends together seamlessly.
Koma offers the following about his inspiration for the track and the forthcoming EP:
“‘Congratulations’ and ‘Come To The Beach’ are two potentially misunderstood titles to release during a world pandemic that's encouraging a pause in all traditional social and celebratory normals. But, they were both written pre-pandemic and, hopefully, they'll last people through to post-pandemic, when we can resume congratulating and going to the beach.”
While the song is a classic alternative pop offering with beachy sounding guitars, its lyrical content is more thought-provoking than it may sound at first. Koma pokes fun at our image-obsessed society with lyrics such as, “And you spend every birthday fixated on all the people you know and how far they’ve gone, Like what you see is even a reality.” His lyrics are a fresh take on how it is so common to compare your life to someone else’s when it’s more than likely that what you’re seeing is far from the actual truth.
I actually saw Winnetka Bowling League in December 2019 when they opened for Cage The Elephant at The Anthem in Washington D.C. (Granted my dad and I got inside the venue later than we anticipated, so we walked in during their last song of the night which was their first single and alternative radio hit, “On The 5”). That night, it was refreshing to see their carefree, Californian aura whilst in the dead of winter, and they left me wanting more. “Come To The Beach” is the perfect follow up to their 2018 hit, and it will certainly leave you wanting more, too.
Make sure to listen to Congratulations when it’s released. In the meantime, you can keep up with Winnetka Bowling League via their socials, listed below!