The dream pop duo Beach House is here with their eighth record “Once Twice Melody'." This dynamic group has been around for almost two decades; however, this is the first album produced solely by them.
This band has nothing to prove with this release, as in the end it’s just for the enjoyment of the fans and themselves. Even though this LP is slightly different from previous albums, it still has the vibe and touch that the rest of their discography has.
The band recently got a new wave of fans due to the popular tune “Space Song” going viral on TikTok, with 97k users using the audio.
The entire project is 18 tracks long, meaning that it takes almost an hour and a half to listen to in one go. Regardless, the album is extremely cohesive in its overall sound which makes the time go by faster and it's transitions smoother.
The LP's Apple Music description states: “Beach House’s gift lies in managing to make what feels like the same album a hundred different ways."
This is a unique album in a way since it's split up in four chapters, each including four to five tracks.
Though the entire album is solid, the beginning tracks truly pull you in. These tracks are encompassing and have an interstellar feeling. The best songs "Superstar” and “Pink Funeral" being back to back makes it even better.
The song “Superstar” takes about 50 seconds for all of its elements to come together. It starts with synths and a faint beat that transitions to the bass. When the guitar comes in, you feel as if you’re in a teen coming of age movie. With reminiscent lyrics and being in E Flat, it’s one of the darker songs of the album.
The track “Pink Funeral” is even more eerie and has the best instrumentals on this LP. Using repeating callbacks from background voices with theatrical lyrics it continues that movie feel. According to lyrical breakdowns from Genius, this track alludes to the 2010 movie “Black Swan” and the theater play “Swan Lake."
The group still has more tricks up their sleeves apparently, even with releasing this double LP. In an interview with Jillian Mapes from Pitchfork Magazine, Alex Scally of the group stated that they wants to do three more records.
“This is my dream as one half of the band. I think we need to make an extremely minimal record.Then, we need to make an extreme dance record. Then, a cover album, where you’re taking beautiful songs you’ve loved in the past and re-imagining them. There’s so many songs we love that aren’t pop songs” Scally said.
With a year already full of great music, this amazing introspective album, yet painfully long at times, is one of the better projects of 2022 so far.
I would give this album a 7.5 out of 10.
