Beach House

Beach House is due to release their fifth studio album Depression Cherry on August 28th, however, some people will be able to have a listen to it a week early. This is the must-hear of the year for dream-pop fans everywhere, so go now and rejoice in its beauty. Unfortunately, the stream is not available in Australia. We hope this will be changed soon (please NPR?). The good news is our international readers can still listen.

Unlike their previous album Bloom, this one is said to be a “return to simplicity”. The singles, including Sparks, PPP and Beyond Love, definitely demonstrate their new raw approach in comparison with the lush piece of work that is Bloom. Each with their own smooth, mellow tone will make you free as though you are floating on a fluffy cloud with the combinations of beautiful instruments surrounding you like fresh air. From what we’ve heard, the rest of the tracks add to the feeling.

Once again, here’s the track listing with selected lyrics:

1. Levitation – “The branches of the trees, they will hang lower now, you will grow too quick, then you will get over it”
2. Sparks – “It’s a gift, taken from the lips, you live again”
3. Space Song – “What makes this fragile world go ‘round, were you ever lost, was she ever found?”
4. Beyond Love – “They take the simple things inside you and put nightmares in your hands”
5. 10:37 – “Here she comes, all parts of everything, stars in the motherhand”
6. PPP – “Did you see it coming, it happened so fast, the timing was perfect, water on glass…”
7. Wildflower – “What’s left you make something of it”
8. Bluebird – “I would not ever try to capture you”
9. Days of Candy – “I know it comes too soon, the universe is riding off with you…… I want to know you there, the universe is riding off with you.”

If you are lucky enough to live in a region where you can listen to the rest of Depression Cherry, click here.

Depression Cherry is out August 28 via Mistletone / Sub Pop.

Beach House have just released their newest single Sparks, off their upcoming fifth album Depression Cherry, which will come out on the 28th of August this year. The song marks an important moment for duo, Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally, as despite working together for over ten years, they have never felt like they were being more true to themselves.

Beach House have been on a bit of a musical roller coaster throughout their career. From humble beginnings in dream pop they began to develop a sound that was bolder and much more confronting. They later admitted that this was partly due to their rise to fame. With the success of Teen Dream and Bloom, the artists began to draw a bigger crowd and naturally started creating music with louder, more aggressive instrumentals. While at the time the changes were organic, the pair explained in a recent press release that in doing so they were pushed further away from their natural musical tendencies. In Sparks and the rest of Depression Cherry, Beach House lets go of public expectations.

The instrumentals in Sparks are paired back and mellow. The grainy guitar feedback is still there, but it’s far softer on the ears. Vocals are sweet and synthy, gradually building to an incredible intensity. It’s ironic that while most artists would be starting to fade after ten years and five albums of collaboration, Beach House, in some ways, is only just beginning.

 

Forerunners in dream pop, Beach House have been making that sound that’s everywhere now before it was cool. With four full-length records behind them, ranging back to 2006, they continue to mesmerize audiences with their enchanting melodies and female half Victoria Legrand‘s ethereal and stunning voice.

Finally, after three years, they announce their return, with a new album dropping in August as well as a world tour to celebrate (no Australian dates as of yet). Titled Depression Cherry, the album was recorded in Bogalusa, Louisana from November ’14 through January ’15. Interestingly, the band noted that this time period included the anniversaries of boy Roy Orbison and John Lennon. Whether this will have an affect on the record is yet to be heard, as they stated the album will show “a return to simplicity, with songs structured around a melody and a few instruments, with live drums playing a far lesser role.”

The band also included a few quotes they “feel relate to the feelings and themes of this record”:

– “I’ll never be able to be here again. As the minutes slide by, I move on. The flow of time is something I cannot stop. I haven’t a choice. I go. One caravan has stopped, another starts up. There are people I have yet to meet, others I’ll never see again. People who are gone before you know it, people who are just passing through. Even as we exchange hellos, they seem to grow transparent. I must keep living with the flowing river before my eyes.” – from ‘Kitchen‘ by Banana Yoshimoto

– “We inhabit a world in which the future promises endless possibilities and the past lies irretrievably behind us. The arrow of time… is the medium of creativity in terms of which life can be understood.” – from ‘The Arrow of Time‘ byPeter Coveney and Roger Highfield

– “Mostly it is loss which teaches us about the worth of things.” – from ‘Parerga and Paralipomena‘ by Arthur Schopenhauer

– “Hark, now hear the sailors cry, feel the air and see the sky, let your soul and spirit fly, into the mystic…when the fog horn blows, I want to hear it, I don’t have to fear it” – from ‘Into the Mystic‘ by Van Morrison

Very intriguing indeed. One thing remains certain though, and that is how god damn excited we are to hear Depression Cherry. Check the tracklisting below, with selected lyrics by Beach House:

1. Levitation – “The branches of the trees, they will hang lower now, you will grow too quick, then you will get over it”
2. Sparks – “It’s a gift, taken from the lips, you live again”
3. Space Song – “What makes this fragile world go ‘round, were you ever lost, was she ever found?”
4. Beyond Love – “They take the simple things inside you and put nightmares in your hands”
5. 10:37 – “Here she comes, all parts of everything, stars in the motherhand”
6. PPP – “Did you see it coming, it happened so fast, the timing was perfect, water on glass…”
7. Wildflower – “What’s left you make something of it”
8. Bluebird – “I would not ever try to capture you”
9. Days of Candy – “I know it comes too soon, the universe is riding off with you…… I want to know you there, the universe is riding off with you.”

Depression Cherry isout Augst 28 via Mistletone / Sub Pop.