Lili Trifilio, Jon Alvarado and Anthony Vaccaro are the musicians behind Beach Bunny, a power pop band from Chicago. Frontwoman Trifilio started the project in her bedroom back in 2015, releasing three EPs on her own before expanding to a full-band setup two years later. At the time, Trifilio didn’t intend for the ensemble to catapult into worldwide fame. She was just looking to get back at her ex through music.
“Truthfully, it was kind of a petty move,” Trifilio said. “I wanted to be in this battle of the bands against my ex, and also Jon was my ex's friend, so he kind of double traded. We didn't win the battle of the bands but now we're a happy family.”
The third album
Two albums and three more EPs later, Beach Bunny is set to release their third studio album sometime this spring. Its title track, “Tunnel Vision,” comes out this Friday, Feb. 7, and they're set to embark on the corresponding tour in April. Tunnel Vision will signify a turning point for the band as they shift their lyrical focus away from love and more towards inward reflection.
“This new album really has nothing to do with relationships, which is what all previous Beach Bunny content’s mostly about,” Trifilio said. “We're leaning a lot more into exploring some social norms. I was exploring this existential crisis I was having. Yeah, it's a lot of self-criticism — more than criticizing other people — which is maybe growth.”
Tunnel Vision will maintain Beach Bunny’s signature guitar-heavy sound, despite changes in topic and personnel. This will be the band’s first album following the departure of former lead guitarist Matt Henkels in 2022.
“I feel like we kind of ventured into [...] more piano stuff at times. It’s the first time the three of us were writing the record together, and [...] we found our footing,” lead guitarist Vaccaro said. “It's similar but different. You know, a progression, as they would say.”
TikTok and viral fame
Beach Bunny was already gaining a lot of traction before TikTok gained widespread popularity, but their songs "Prom Queen" and "Cloud 9" went viral on the app, which launched the band into stardom. “Prom Queen” even inspired a TikTok trend, with TikTokers using Trifilio's lyrics "You should lower your beauty standards" to normalize bodily imperfections. Despite initially resisting the rise of TikTok, Trifilio said that she is now grateful for the opportunity that the platform has given her to gain a wider audience and pursue music full-time.
“[Prom Queen] came out well before TikTok, so, yeah, even the fact that it went viral on short-form media, it's pretty mind-boggling,” Trifilio said. “But it's really cool that people can take the lyrics and make them their own and have a positive impact and relate to the song in their own ways.”
Growing as a band
Ten years into the project, Beach Bunny has now played venues like Madison Square Garden and their hometown’s Lollapalooza and Riot Fest. Their sold-out show at Wooly’s was just the second time the band's performed in Iowa, with the first being their Mission Creek performance in 2022. Over the past decade, the trio has experienced a lot of growth together, both in audience and in musicianship.
“It's crazy to hear how far we've come as musicians too and just like how much progression we've done with songwriting just working together,” drummer Alvarado said. “It's a lot easier now, I'd say, especially with this new record. It's been feeling great and it's fun to play the songs live that are from like 2017 or from even Lili’s solo days that we kind of turned into full band stuff. It's very nostalgic, even to me as someone who's been playing it for so long. It still feels great every single time. And then the new stuff, I'm just kind of excited to show people.”
A fun show
The Wooly’s show was Beach Bunny’s last performance for a few months before their Tunnel Vision continental tour begins April 11. The band has no intentions of taking any time off though: February and March will be full of single releases and album promotion.
Wooly’s was packed to the brim Jan. 26, as Trifilio led Alvarado, Vaccaro and their touring members Tay Norwood and Claire Zhang through a very high-energy performance. This was in stark contrast to the quiet crooning of their opener, fellow Chicagoan Delaney Bailey. Even though Beach Bunny’s music is primarily indie bedroom pop, Trifilio encouraged the audience to open up a moshpit multiple times, and concluded their encore with a wall of death during “Painkiller.” Trifilio’s sunny demeanor filled the venue with positivity, and she even led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to a thirteen-year-old who was attending their first-ever concert.
With ten years down and more music coming out soon, it’s clear that Beach Bunny is still climbing. First, it’s selling out Wooly’s on a Sunday night, next it’s taking over the world.
