Girls at the Mall is the debut release of Jeffrey Beaumont, the pen name of mastermind Sam Gunnett. Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan Sam spent his teenage years immersed in the city's thriving DIY underground. Soaking up the music of his peers as well as the national acts he admired, Sam began writing music under various monikers from an early age. Jeffrey Beaumont is Sam's latest incarnation. The six tracks on Girls at the Mall reflect not only his love for the scene that he grew up in, but also a yearning for wanting more out of life.
Girls at the Mall was recorded at Easy One Short in Ann Arbor, Michigan with Saturday Looks Good To Me frontman Fred Thomas. Sam played all the instruments on the record, save for Thomas' helping out with keys on a song or two, and this gives Girls at the Mall an intimacy that pulls the listener in. Girls at the Mall is as much heart-on-its-sleeve as it is shrouded in mystery, and that's what makes it such an engrossing listen from start to finish.
The influences Sam draws on to craft his songs can be heard throughout Girls at the Mall. At first glance one would assume the track "Answering Machine" is a cover of the Replacements song, but upon listening the only thing it has in common is a line from the chorus, and a passing reference to the band's bassist Tommy Stinson. It's really just a tip of the hat to the band he admires, as well as an ode to the excitement and terror one feels when calling someone for the first time. There are additional nods and winks to those that have inspired Sam on the album, but they're certainly stamped with his own personal touch.