With the rise of streaming and social media, it’s become increasingly difficult for bands and artists to stand out. A few years ago, I stumbled upon a trulyhidden gemof a band calledBeach House,whose music was actually a recommendation from Spotify based on my listening history and is now one of my absolute favorite bands.Beach House released theirself-titleddebut in 2006, followed by a string of seven more albums, most of which have largely flown under the radar.
Their 2012 album,Bloom, and their 2015 album,Depression Cherry, both reached the top ten of the Billboard 200 chart, but aside from that,Beach House’s combination of dream pop andshoegazesound has hovered just below the chart-topping threshold.Their music is unique, however, and I am a firm believer in their potential to break out. They are doing quite a bit of leg work to keep dream pop and shoegaze alive in the 21st century, and these ten songs are proof.
10Used to Be
Teen Dream(2008)
Teen Dreamwas Beach House’s breakout album, as their first to reach the top 50 of the Billboard 200 chart. The lead single, “Used to Be,” was released about 15 months ahead of the rest of the album, which wasn’t released until January 2010. The band’s first two albums didn’t see the release of a single, so"Used to Be" was not only the first single off ofTeen Dream, but it was also the first single of their entire discography.
What makes this song so unique is that the organ and the vocals are the primary drivers, while everything else sort of takes a back seat.
The song starts out with a drum beat which is reminiscent of a beating heart, followed by a brief guitar line which seamlessly transitions into organ music. What makes this song so unique is that the organ and the vocals are the primary drivers, while everything else sort of takes a back seat. Overall, it’s an upbeat, feel-good track thatdoesn’t necessarily exhibit the same dream-like aspects that have made me a fan, but is ultimately a huge part of what put them on anyone’s musical radar.
9Myth
Bloom(2012)
Beach House released their fourth album,Bloom,two years afterTeen Dream, and the album peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200 chart.The lead single, “Myth,” was a large part of what made this album so special.Though the song still never reached any American charts, it was certified gold in the US, and it also made a splash in both the UK and Mexico, earning the band some international recognition.
As the album’s opener, “Myth” had the distinct responsibility of ushering in Beach House’s new sound, now that they’d worked through the growing pains of signing onto a new record label withTeen Dream.The nearly 45-second introduction is the perfect metaphorical transition,with a steady beat kept by a cowbell and a synthesizer-driven dream sequence before Victoria Legrand finally starts singing. The song exists on a narrow spectrum of sound, but it is about as dynamic a dream pop track as any.
8Sparks
Depression Cherry(2015)
“Sparks” was the lead single from Beach House’s second album to reach the top ten of the Billboard 200,Depression Cherry.With their newfound identity proving successful withBloom,Beach House really embraced the dream pop sound, and started bleeding a bit into shoegaze, too, withDepression Cherry.Victoria Legrand said they chose “Sparks” as the lead single because, “‘Sparks’ feels like a nice beginning of another place that still has some of the past in it.” (Entertainment Weekly)
Though “Sparks” is a track with textbook ethereal dream pop vocals, the music itself really exemplifies the electric feedback of shoegaze. The vocals continue to drone on throughout the song, and because of that,it’s easy to lose yourself in the hypnotic sound of Legrand’s voice.If you can snap out of the trance that her voice lulls you into and really pay attention to the words, you’ll realize the lyrics are just as beautiful as the voice singing them.
7Space Song
After “Sparks” closes out with a pretty abrupt ending,“Space Song” begins with a controlled sequence of synthesizers that mimics the feeling of floating through outer space.The song was released as a promotional single forDepression Cherry, and was actually the duo’s highest-performing single to date. The track went viral on TikTok, and peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. Given the song’s title, “Space Song” is exactly what you’d expect, in the best possible way.
The song’s introduction lasts for almost an entire minute,keeping with the theme of lulling the listener into a deep trance-like state before the vocals begin.The lyrical composition exists in either couplets or singlets, sandwiched on either side by a steady musical backing. Occasionally, the wailing synthesizer will show up again, reminiscent of a shooting star or an asteroid flying by in the vast landscape of both the song and outer space.
6Majorette
Thank Your Lucky Stars(2016)
Keeping with the theme of space, Beach House released their sixth album,Thank Your Lucky Stars,just two months afterDepression Cherry, and released the promotional single, “Majorette,” the following year. The album’s first track, “Majorette” starts out with a unique—and fairly surprising—drum beat. They have always included some form of percussion in their music, but it’s rare that the drums are center stage for them, andeven if it’s only for a few seconds at the beginning, the drums certainly capture the listener’s attention on “Majorette.”
This track, admittedly, takes a more conventional approach to the ethereal dream pop sound thanBloomandDepression Cherry, butin a way that implies Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally are still evolving as a songwriting duo.It still maintains that hypnotic, mellow, constant that characterizes the song as dream pop, but using a more traditional ensemble of instruments.
5Chariot
B-Sides and Rarities(2017)
In a statement accompanying their compilation album,B-Sides and Rarities,Beach House said, “The idea for a B-sides record came when we realized just how many non-album songs had been made over the years, and how hard it was to find and hear many of them.” (Pitchfork) “Chariot” was the first track onB-Sides and Rarities, andthe only single Beach House released on their compilation album.It was also one of just two new songs that the duo had released solely for the compilation album, the rest being material from previous albums.
As the song continues, it almost feels as though it blooms like a flower, growing piece by piece with time.
“Chariot” begins in true Beach House fashion, with a steadily building symphony of synthesizers, percussion, keys, and eventually, vocals. As the song continues, it almost feels as though it blooms like a flower, growing piece by piece with time. With the briefest hint of a guitar solo about halfway through the song,“Chariot” just coasts through to the end, in an all-encompassing calm, a five-minute journey through time.
4Lemon Glow
7(2018)
“Lemon Glow” was the lead single from Beach House’s highly anticipated seventh album,7. After two top ten albums, the duo had amassed a decent following of fans who were eagerly awaiting7from the time it was announced, and"Lemon Glow" provided a nice glimpse into the album just a few months before the whole thing was released.The track is certainly more experimental and electronic than what fans had come to expect from Beach House, but this album, with this song as the first taste, feels to me like their magnum opus.
Once the rest of the album was released, “Lemon Glow” certainly held up as one of the record’s stronger tracks.
Though the duo was starting to gain some recognition up until this point, this single did not perform as well as they may have hoped. That said,the song received high praise from music critics across numerous publications,and any true fan of Beach House would regard the upbeat electronic sound as unique and exciting. Once the rest of the album was released, “Lemon Glow” certainly held up as one of the record’s stronger tracks.
3Pay No Mind
Though it was not released as a single, “Pay No Mind” is the second track from7and combines all elements of their sound. From the dream pop vocals, the electronic noise tracks in the background, and the calming synthesizer music keeping everything together,this song feels like Beach House’s past, present, and future, tied into one.Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally have maintained from the start that they are not a band who are looking to make number one hits, but “Pay No Mind” is the kind of song that could have, and possibly should have, been exactly that.
The song’s chord progression has a familiar pop music quality that makes it an immediate earworm upon first listen, but it’s not the kind you want to evict.When this song gets stuck in my head, which it does quite often, it is always a welcome visitor in my mind.On top of the catchy pop quality, the lyrics show that the song is actually an emotional ballad:“Baby at night when I look at you / Nothing in this world keeps me confused / All it takes, look in your eyes.”
2Woo
“Woo” is the kind of song that gives me chills throughout my entire body, and they don’t let up even once for the full four minutes and 14 seconds that it plays. With five singles released from7,it’s a wonder to me, not only that “Pay No Mind” wasn’t one of them, but also that “Woo” wasn’t one of them.Personally, I think “Woo” may very well be the greatest song in their discography.
It’s a rather simple song, funny enough, butthe way each musical element comes together is so precisely coordinated,down to the crashing sound effects at the beginning of the track. Victoria Legrand sings a visceral refrain,“I want it all / But I can’t have it / Images fly by / I cannot say much / But I want it all.“Though the words are almost all monosyllabic, Legrand smoothly bridges them all together in a way that flawlessly flows.
1Once Twice Melody
Once Twice Melody(2021)
Beach House’s first, and so far only, album of the 2020s isOnce Twice Melody, the title track and lead single of which is the band’s only single to chart on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay list, where it peaked at number 15. The album is split into four parts of four songs each, and “Once Twice Melody” kicks off part one with a bang.The song starts with a sound that can only be described as an auditory spotlight shining on a stageas, about 30 seconds in, the guitar and percussion appear.
The song has a conventional, pop music feel to it, but as always, even in their most seemingly traditional tracks, Beach House remains true to their dream pop identity. Though the music is, for the most part, on the more conventional side, the synthesizers are more experimental than usual, almost sounding like lasers and video game sound effects during certain instrumental breaks. The lyrics are few and far between, butit’s the hypnotic one-line refrain,“Nights fly by, in her mind,“that really solidifies this track as one of their greatest.
