- The second wave of shoegaze is well and truly upon us, its origins surely in debt to Baltimore, MA duo Beach House. Ever since their self-titled debut dropped back in 2006, many more acts have emerged with the dream pop formula of swelling, effects-laden guitars, touches of electronica and distant, ethereal vocals, to the point that it is now a key ingredient of contemporary indie music.
Now marks the release of their seventh studio album, suitably titled 7, and the results are some of the most vital, forward-looking sounds yet to come from the two-piece. They have even recruited Peter “Sonic Boom” Kember to help oversee production, who is noted not only for his studio skills but as a former member of first-wave shoegaze pioneers Spacemen 3. And while the record doesn’t share that band’s famous use of ear-splitting volume, it does take on board some of the sonic density associated with the 80s noise legends.
The new album will certainly appeal to fans of the duo’s strengths – Victoria Legrand’s lake-pure vocals and crystalline synths and Alex Scally’s echo-drenched guitars score their gently narcoticised lullabies as they have done for many years now. However, there is more of a rumbling discontent to these new tunes, as well as a greater variety in both pace and arrangement.
For my ears, they have always made beautiful but largely inessential music, albeit with a few absolutely stunning tracks ensuring they’ve always been a band to watch. However, 7 is proof that there’s much more to Beach House than a few amazing singles and merely pleasant parent albums.
If you have been keeping track of the four singles released in advance of this new record, you will have some idea of what to expect. Dream pop signature elements aside, each of these four singles are extremely varied in style – Lemon Glow’s hints of trip-hop, Dive’s two-songs-in-one structure, Dark Spring’s billowing emissions of sound and Black Car’s pulsing electronica.
There are many more highlights to be found on the record, including the Jesus And Mary Chain-esque fuzz of Pay No Mind and the cry-into-your-beer chillwave ballad Drunk In LA which recalls the reverb-heavy melancholy of Lana Del Rey.
They claim the album was inspired by the “societal insanity” of recent years, particularly the years of the Trump campaign and subsequent election into the White House. That may explain the greater variety of tempos and sonic textures to be found here, echoing the uncertainty and competing voices of our current times. The result is the first album I’ve heard from the duo that is more than merely pleasant. Beach House have made plenty of good records in the past. 7 is their first great one.
-Matt Thrower.