Review Summary: “The universe is riding off with you”
Over the course of Beach House’s first four albums, the Baltimore based band gradually developed their early claustrophobic style into something more spacious, and distinctly emotional. On their first two releases, Victoria Legrand’s organs churned at a slow pace, and Alex Scally’s drum machines stuttered like they were spitting out cobwebs. "Teen Dream," the band’s third formal outing, introduced higher production quality to their music that opened them up to a wider audience. They cleaned up their sound even further on their fourth studio release "Bloom," an album that showcased tightly crafted pop songs and an accessibility that suggested they were at the peak of their career. So where does a band like Beach House go next? With "Depression Cherry," it seems that the band has taken the brave, and maybe logical decision to scale back.
Beach House has always been a band that relies on minor changes to keep their approach to music unique and fresh, and fittingly it’s the minute details on "Depression Cherry" that are the most captivating. Early single “Sparks” exhibited the same grandiose quality introduced on their last album, but this time around they’ve chosen to highlight a crackly shoegaze inspired guitar instead of the shimmering synths and overdriven percussion of "Bloom." The track suggested "Depression Cherry" would be Beach House’s biggest sounding album to date, but in context the song only acts as a piece of a larger, more varied puzzle. “10:37” and “Bluebird” find the band at their polar opposite, mining the same minimalist field they reveled in on their debut. Miraculously, however, the band avoids sounding as if they’re retreading old territory by utilizing their higher budget to introduce new elements to their signature style. “Days of Candy” for instance begins with an angelic choir that makes the track almost unrecognizable as a Beach House song until Legrand’s languidly sighing vocals chime in.
The first three tracks of "Depression Cherry" compose one of the band’s strongest sets of songs to date. “Levitation” picks up from where "Bloom" left off with a droning guitar similar to the one played on “Irene”. Unlike “Irene”, “Levitation” doesn’t build to a climax. Instead, it seems to move forward at an even pace, eventually fading out once the band has nothing else left to say. The following track, “Sparks”, is arguably Beach House’s best and least commercial single to date with it’s looping mumbled vocals, sinister organ grind, and awkwardly plodding drum machine. The middle section finds Beach House in their comfort zone, which would be a problem if they didn’t sound so stunning playing it safe.
The last third of the album revolves around the themes of love and loss, and the tone turns appropriately somber. On “Wildflower”, the phrase “Baby I’m yours” is sung with a desperation that evokes a character in the midst of a breakup. On “Bluebird” Legrand sings about sending off her lover and wondering what life has in store. “Days of Candy” perfectly embodies the feeling of overcoming loss, or at least coming to terms with it. The ballad closes the album with the mournful, yet alleviating lyric, “The universe is riding off with you”.
Lyrically the band continues to conjure hazy mental images by using single phrase descriptions of places and events, just as they’ve done since their debut, and for most of the album Legrand sings cryptically in second person. Though this style of writing can feel a little repetitive at times, it’s hard to complain when they provide lines as plaintively beautiful as “There's a place I want to take you, when the unknown will surround you”. “PPP” opens with spoken word, and the elegant way Legrand speaks gives the impression that she’s playing a character. It’s an undeniably beautiful moment, and a welcome change in a song that’s otherwise monotonous.
Despite the strength of these nine tracks, the album isn’t without its faults. “Beyond Love” feels like it’s missing an element that would truly justify its inclusion, and “PPP”’s meditative wordless ending, while pretty, falls short of validating it’s six minute run time. Ultimately Beach House’s music won’t satisfy everyone, but "Depression Cherry" proves that should they so please, they could continue releasing gorgeously decadent and emotionally direct dream pop without diminishing returns for years to come.
Essential Tracks: “Sparks”, “Bluebird”, “Days of Candy”.
