Beach House - 7

Beach House
7
2018
Spotify

I don't know why it took me so long to get to this new record from Beach House, but for one reason or another I've been putting it off. Maybe there is a bit of fatigue with the indie rock genre at this point, and it just doesn't bring me that joy anymore so writing about it feels like a chore and a bit disingenuous. While Beach House fall more on the dreampop side of things rather than indie rock they still somewhat inhabit that same spirit. But 7 is quite different in that it creates an entire atmosphere all it's on. It feels sultry but cutting, lyrics meant to have weight and meaning coupled with music that is constantly looking to lift you u p past the foggy bottom. The air surrounding this record has a ton of weight, you can feel it on your skin as you listen. They manage to create a space where they inhabit every inch of it, they don't need to give you a place to breath because they are creating a world all their own. Slow builds and smoldering guitars make "Drunk in LA" one of the best tracks on the record, taking you through a night of debauchery in the city. The analogies are so vivd and weird they really transport you to that gaggle of hipsters moving in and out of their favorite LA drinking holes paying way to much for old fashions. That may sound like a judgement, but it's more just a realization of the way things are, something Beach House are able to mine directly from their songs.

The slow burn aspect of the record makes the songs that truly cook feel so much better. "Drive" has this thumping guitar line and while the vocal remains ethereal the music cooks in this really beautiful way. The album flows in such an incredible way where you almost don't know where one song begins and another ends even though they are all clearly very different. You get swept up into the journey and you have to float along with them for the whole ride. Beach House have said previously that 7 is not necessarily a political album, but it feels like one that was affected by the politics of the past two years. It is more about trying to let go of the emotions rather than trying to find a way to activate yourself by them. It feels almost like shoegaze pop at times the way you can sort of get totally transfixed and taken away by the music. Clearly I made a mistake in waiting on this record, it truly is something beautiful. Don't make the same mistake I did and sleep on this one.

9.0 out of 10