Listening to the new songs from the San Diego based quartet The Beautiful View makes you think "sounds like this should be on the radio", which isn’t a bad thing in this case. There's a familiarity that the band brings to the table, an honesty; unpretentious, politically incorrect and they are as “un-indie” as a band can be ---dressed in Gucci shoes, tailored clothes and their shows often end in a boisterous conversation at the back bar with a tab worth of shots as long as your arm.

The band blends traditional rock genres from Blondie and even Duran Duran with modern rock bands like The Killers and Franz Ferdinand and even Interpol. For some reason the band conjures up images from the Miami night club scene in Scarface and perhaps that’s because they grew up ten miles from the border in Chula Vista, a city close enough to the Tijuana headlines of cartel drug wars. The city was affected by the border violence but safe enough for kids to feel the conservative vibe of San Diego all while growing up across from a country stricken in poverty.

And Chula Vista (Spanish translation; Beautiful View) has a surprisingly rich tradition of successful artists in bands ranging from “indie” Black Heart Procession, “punk” The Zeros, and “rock” The Dragons and “hardcore” P.O.D. Those influences ring true beneath the rich vocals of Aaron Magnan, the tasteful leads of Adrian Cordero and the masterful rhythm section of bassist Paul Rich and drummer Duane Allan. Each of them taking a prominent role in the group's layered songwriting and performances.

Magnan, Cordero, Rich, and Allan all met in high school and the four have been friends ever since. The band started in May of 2007 and The Beautiful View earned their stripes playing a ton of new shows while earning a notable following and developing a stage presence with explosive live shows until the band decided to take a step off the stage in 2011 and dedicate all their efforts to creating a full length album. It was recorded at Black Box San Diego with Mario Quintero and mastered at D2 studios in Burbank.

The ten song release due out later this year on Requiemme Records. The songs are well written, well played, well recorded and yes, “alternative radio” friendly--- perhaps because the band is just that good.

Look for more news on The Beautiful View’s new release “Life is Beautiful’ out in January, more local dates and a national tour early this year.