Beach House is Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally. Together for over a decade, they have become a cult classic before their time – something that no one would have guessed after the release of their first two albums Beach House (2006) and Devotion (2008), which are great yet not exactly ground breaking. With the release of Teen Dream (2010) and Bloom (2012), both phenomenal in every sense, they championed the dream pop genre giving them global acclaim. With each album they have subtly progressed their staple sound, reaching higher standards with each release – after a three year gap, will Depression Cherry have a similar impact?

 
The album starts strong with ‘Levitation’, a highlight of the album. The beautiful aching lullaby instantly sweeps you away on Beach House’s trademark melancholic journey, but this time the sound is more sparse and suffused with wistful droning atmospherics. The lead single from Depression Cherry, ‘Sparks’ stands alone on the album being the biggest step away from what you might expect. After many, many listens I have learnt to love this track – surrounding the listener in a wash of shoegaze reverb (a recurring theme on the record) with vintage organ chords and ethereal guitar notes holding the tune. ‘Space Song’ returns back to their usual nostalgia lingering pop, allowing Legrand’s delicate and warm vocals to reign supreme – much like ’10:37’ which is another step away from the norm, having lots of space around simple instrumentation.
 
‘PPP’ is the best example of Beach House’s tried and tested winning formula; Legrand’s glorious vocals (which on this occasion switch between singing and spoken-word) and Scally’s arpeggiated electric guitar on top of a simple slow-motion drum beat. They seem to have the knack of accessing your deepest emotions, bringing them out but then leaving you feeling refreshed. The bittersweet splendour of the minimal ‘Bluebird’ feels more like a downtempo dance track, but the gracefully soft and understated song draped in a gloomy sentiment, is a firm favourite from the album. The album comes to a close with choral ballad ‘Day Of Candy’, a blissful low key finish that I probably wouldn’t have mentioned if it was anything other than the final song.
 
Having become a leading player in the indie music league, I worry that Beach House may have hit a creative rut because of their synonymous identity, and feel breaking character could be too much of a risk. The band have said “this record is a return to simplicity”, ignoring the commercial pressures which they exist in. However, with the shoegaze tinge being the only progression to their sound (which at times comes across somewhat uninspired) this will undoubtedly disappoint the Beach House fan waiting to hear what their next step forward is. Which leads to question; has the hallmark Beach House sound run its course? I hope not.
 
There is nothing that I wanted to do more than to praise this album to the high heavens, as I am a huge fan of their previous albums, but unfortunately it glides past without really leaving a trace. There are moments of timeless brilliance, but unlike on the previous material, it passes over all too quickly. Nevertheless, Depression Cherry will be a massive hit with anyone who has never heard of or has just discovered Beach House – although they are in for an even bigger treat once they listen to Bloom and Teen Dream.
Iain Lauder