When »Bloom« was released three years ago, Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally of Beach House tried to expand their musical approach, making it all-encompassing. With their growing success, the venues of their gigs started to grow, too, naturally making them move further away from their actual preferences. With their fifth record, »Depression Cherry«, Beach House are moving back to their roots and to a kind of simplicity that’s also to be found in the band’s name. Hence, there’s a scarce use of instruments, carefully constructed around melodies. The drums, which were still dominant on »Bloom«, were taken further back, while synthesizer, guitar and intonation were given more room to fill. Sometimes it’s almost as if something is missing, considering that the driving staginess defining both previous records has almost vanished from the tracks. Instead, Beach House are focusing on restrained and floating sound structures, sometimes even drifting into ethereal grounds (although these descriptions have been overused lately). With »Days Of Candy«, they are reaching a transcendental peak – and yet, all their meandering through crystalline landscapes still leaves room for density and sharp edges, tackling their way into tracks like »Sparks«, not allowing them to burble along. It reminds the listener of a mix between Slowdive, the Cocteau Twins and the early Alison Goldfrapp, all very positive references. After all, the Beach House is no place for showmanship, but rather a refuge of longing and intimacy, having waves break against its banks to the tide’s rhythm. Sometimes they are soft, sometimes they are stormy. And they always know that there is no stemming the tide.
Mess Esque
Jay Marie, Comfort Me
Drag City