Beach House - "Depression Cherry"

One cannot think about the new Beach House album without first considering their last effort, 2012's Bloom. While many of the new tracks are particularly reminiscent of their divisive, moodier predecessor, it builds on this creative digression with more regard for their tried-and-true, dream pop formula of the past. To call Depression Cherry a return-to-form would underscore the enormous creative strides they have made lyrically and sonically over the last two albums. However, their latest work proves the band has finally resolved the struggle to combine their new direction with what first connected with fans.

Although Depression Cherry finds Beach House reapplying some of their more universally admired tendencies, they continue to expand their palate. There's the minimalist melodies and punctuated guitar accents. The rhythmic drum machine beats make a welcomed return. The climatic sweeps of layered sound, such as on "PPP" for example, rush in at the perfect moment to induce wide-eyed wonder. In Depression Cherry they have synthesized the accessibility of their first two albums, the mature production of Teen Dream, and the deeply personal lyrics of Bloom. This amalgamation could have become rote and ineffectual, but instead Beach House displays true mastery of their sound with their most evenly paced work yet.

The first song on a Beach House album is delicate in that it must be undeniably epic in their own unique style; in most cases, it will be the last dose of adrenaline listeners will get for quite some time. The opener "Levitation," does not disappoint. It takes its time to build, and when the climax hits it's powerful yet subdued. Whereas "Zebra" speeds to a gallop, this first track spills into every corner of the mind with a sedating wash of sound. It sets the tone for what becomes an introspective examination of interpersonal relationships and individualism.

Beach House gets their version of a rally song with their first single, "Sparks" which outlines the challenges of self-censorship and the benefit of letting your voice be heard. It's the kind of inspiring message that the band usually twists and subverts, but this time around they end on a positive note with the refrain "Make it/ Wave it/ Alive!" It's these more optimistic turns that create the biggest surprises on the album. The song is accompanied with a bit of distortion that creates one of the band's heaviest instrumentations, but the true experiment is in the lyrics.

Victoria Legrand's sultry vocals have only become more pronounced over the years, and luckily the lyrics have continued a similar upward trajectory. The improvement in her writing abilities has allowed for broader concepts like love and betrayal to adopt the same nuance as the production. Her indescribable flashes of creativity are now filtered into well-comprehended ambiguities. The lyrics provide an imagery that complements the instrumentals so that when the music takes a shift, it's because the whole world within the song is shifting. Never have Legrand and Alex Scally been this in sync and united with their individual contributions.

Then comes the criticism that Beach House never quite ventures far from their formula. This is a simplistic analysis of a band largely caused by their adherence to what works. Although their penchant for minimalistic, dream pop can sometimes limit the excitement of a new release, this band continues to reinvent itself within its niche. Songs still consist of the same subject matter, but Legrand finds new ways to approach topics; two songs focusing on marriage and commitment, "Wedding Bell" on Devotion and Cherry's "PPP," could not be further from each other stylistically. The gambles are often subtle, but they can lead to profound payoffs; it's only on the more straightforward songs like "Wildflower" and "Bluebird" that the act starts to feel repetitive.

Perhaps the greatest leap comes at the end, with closer "Days of Candy," which utilizes an 8-man choir for the bedrock of the track. It's haunting, beautiful, and the most human the band has ever been. There is a vulnerability in the lyrics with an added tinge of wistfulness that isn't expected from the group. It gives the album a sense of finality that makes this project their most fully-realized vision yet. Most of all, it demonstrates their range as they fade out moving in a new direction.