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May 11, 2018 Beach House By Michael Watkins Photography by Shawn Brackbill

At this point, you know where you stand with Beach House. You either love them, hate them or feel indifferently towards them and, there has been very little to change whatever opinion it is that you hold on them over the course of their first six albums, the last two of which were released in 2015.

Since then, they have announced a hiatus, released a collection of career-spanning B-sides that, rather than providing an eye-opening glimpse into their creative process, hardened any views you may hold of the pair already. On the new album, simply titled 7, Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally reunite for their most layered and tumultuous effort to date.

The smattering of lead singles that were dropped in the lead up to 7‘s release now look like writing on the wall. An effervescent introduction into an outfit now in their second decade as a pairing can be found on “Lemon Glow,” a space age groover of maximum scope and a funky beat not normally found in this particular genre.

Fuzzy and equally vacuous is the follow-up single “Dive,” a more haunting but equally impactful descent through the band’s sound and atmosphere. When on their own, these songs seemed almost anthemic in contrast to the last few records-the peaceful Depression Cherry and Thank Our Lucky Stars seem like veritable worlds away from this new release.

And yet, the band haven’t lost any of their initial charm and innocence. Tracks like “Pay No Mind” and “L’inconnue” feel buoyant with an optimism and positivity that are trademarks of these Baltimore indie darlings.

As a means to flesh the album out, there is a track or two that feel less interesting than its highlights. The most notable of which would probably be “Lose Your Smile,” although this would be far from a weak point on most other releases.

In many ways, it can be argued that this is Beach House’s most complete and all encompassing effort to date. It feels like a journey of peaks and troughs in a way that everything they have released since Teen Dream has felt, to a certain extent, like it is on auto pilot.

This isn’t to say that it is necessarily any better or worse-as eluded to previously, how you react to this album depends hugely on your previous experience of them-but it certainly adds a much needed dimension to their sound, the likes of which can sustain their well-founded, historical furor around them for many years and releases to come.

Read our review of 7.

Read our 2017 interview with Beach House on B-Sides and Rarities.

Also read our 2015 interview with Beach House’s Victoria Legrand about Depression Cherry.

Beach House Tour Dates:

May 13 - Mayer, AZ - Form Arcosanti
Jun. 02 - Barcelona, ES - Primavera Sound
Jul. 26 - Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre
Jul. 27 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz
Jul. 28 - Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theatre [Sold Out]
Jul. 30 - Dallas, TX - Bomb Factory
Jul. 31 - Austin, TX - ACL Live at the Moody Theatre [Sold Out]
Aug. 02 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
Aug. 03 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fairbanks Lawn at Hollywood Forever Cemetery [Sold Out]
Aug. 04 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fairbanks Lawn at Hollywood Forever Cemetery [Sold Out]
Aug. 05 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory at North Park [Sold Out]
Aug. 07 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre [Sold Out]
Aug. 08 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre
Aug. 10 - Portland, OR - Keller Auditorium
Aug. 12 - Vancouver, BC - Orpheum Theatre
Aug. 14 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
Aug. 15 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
Aug. 17 - St. Paul, MN - The Palace Theatre
Aug. 18 - Chicago, Il - Chicago Theatre
Aug. 19 - Detroit, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
Aug. 20 - Toronto, ON - Sony Centre
Aug. 22 - New York, NY - United Palace Theatre
Aug. 23 - Brooklyn, NY - Kings Theatre [Sold Out]
Aug. 24 - Boston, MA - House of Blues [Sold Out]
Aug. 25 - Washington, DC - The Anthem
Sep. 25 - Lisbon, Portugal - Coliseu dos Recreios
Sep. 26 - Porto, Portugal - Teatro sa da Bandeira
Sep. 27 - Madrid, ES - La Riviera
Sep. 28 - Barcelona, ES - Razzmatazz
Sep. 30 - Lyon, France - Epicerie Moderne
Oct. 01 - Köln, DE - Gloria
Oct. 02 - Berlin, DE - Huxleys
Oct. 04 - Lund, SE - Mejeriet
Oct. 05 - Gothenburg, SE - Trädgar’n
Oct. 07 - Oslo, NO - Rockefeller Music Hall
Oct. 08 - Stockholm, SE- Münchenbryggeriet
Oct. 09 - Copenhagen, DK - Forum Black Box
Oct. 11 - Hamburg, DE - Kampnagel
Oct. 12 - Utrecht, NL - TivoliVredenburg
Oct. 13 - Brussels, BE - AB
Oct. 15 - Paris, FR - Olympia
Oct. 17 - London, UK - Troxy
Oct. 18 - London, UK - Troxy [Sold Out]
Oct. 19 - Manchester, UK - Albert Hall
Oct. 20 - Dublin, IE - Vicar Street

www.beachhousebaltimore.com

Album of the Week Runner-ups (Also Released This Week):

Arctic Monkeys: Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (Domino)

The Sea and Cake: Any Day (Thrill Jockey)

Simian Mobile Disco: Murmurations (Wichita)

Jess Williamson: Cosmic Wink (Mexican Summer)

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