Dream Pop Duo Beach House Stuns With First Chapter Of Upcoming Album
After four years of hiatus, Beach House is back better than ever.
By Danielle Johnson
The much anticipated eighth studio album, Once Twice Melody, from dream pop duo Beach House is expected to be released in February 2022, almost four years after their most recent album, 7, was released. While that may seem far away, the unique way the band is releasing the album makes the waiting a little less difficult.
On November 10, 2021, Beach House released the first chapter, similar to an EP, out of four it plans to release leading up to the full album release in February. The eighteen track album will have four chapters. The following three will be released on December 18, 2021, January 9, 2022 and February 18, 2022 (the full album release date). The band plans to tour the entire album in 2022.
The band realized while sequencing their new songs that they could create a story through all 18 songs, but also divide that story into 4 different chapters. For the listener, this means if they decide to listen to the full 18 track album they will get one story but if they decide to listen to the album chapter by chapter, they will get the story in different pieces.
Chapter 1 of Once Twice Melody includes four songs starting with, of course, “Once Twice Melody”. The song instantly starts with the classic Beach House sound of psychedelic pop that transports you into a new reality when you close your eyes.
“Once Twice Melody” delves into the ideas of loneliness and watching life pass you by. With allusions to “never-never land” and laying “out in the summer sun”, one can imagine the feeling of being so serene, yet longing and wishing for more.
The second song of the four, “Superstar”, seems to reflect on a failing relationship. The star-crossed lovers of “Superstar” can't seem to get past their struggle and make their love work. The protagonist watches their person fade out of their lives but still has love for them and the beauty that relationship gave them.
“Pink Funeral” the third, and my personal favorite, of the four songs is what seems to be an ode to Swan Lake. With many references to stars and the night, it continues the theme of star-crossed lovers that “Superstar” starts to play with. It brings in a timeless ballet and really encapsulates the Swan Lake main character relationship while also relating it to real life relationships.
The final song of the chapter “Through Me” uses colors and transparency to portray emotions. The protagonist is evolving and seeing how their past actions have gotten them to where they are now.
Chapter 1 leaves you hanging a bit with what will happen next in the story, presumably to get the listener excited for Chapter 2. Overall, I think this is a great introduction to Beach House’s new album. It has the classic sounds a listener would recognize right away as theirs and gets you involved in the story.
The only place I would say this chapter misses is if you were looking for something new and different from Beach House. The band doesn't seem to expand their horizons on this chapter as they have talked about doing in the past.
If you are looking for calming and new indie music to listen to this fall, this first chapter is definitely for you.