Beach House - “Once Twice Melody”
This is the 8th album by Baltimore-based dream pop duo Beach House. Together, Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally have been releasing highly praised material since the mid-2000’s. Records like "Teen Dream" (2010) and "Bloom" (2012) are considered modern classics. With a consistently dreamy and colorful sound, Beach House manages to please longtime fans while also keeping things fresh. With psychedelic influences and an 80’s-inspired new wave approach, "Once Twice Melody" does exactly this. On an almost 1,5 hour-lasting record, we hear the band shifting between these two directions. The arpeggiated and bright synths on "Masquerade" and "Over and Over" create the retro feel of the 80’s, while the phaser and reverb effects on "Through Me" and "Hurts To Love" embody that psychedelic sound. Along with Victoria Legrand’s hazy vocals and the recurring string sections, it’s quite a magical journey. The metaphorical lyrics help paint this colorful, euphoric, but also tragic picture. With the album being built out of 4 separate EP’s, returning to one of these EP’s every once in a while may do the material more justice. Because listing through "Once Twice Melody" in one go, makes some tracks feel similar or less memorable. Still, Beach House maintain their status as Dream Pop pioneers with this well-crafted and ambitious project.
Best track: “Pink Funeral”
Rating: 7,5
Released: February 18, 2022
Bella Union
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