Beach House - Depression Cherry
- Written by Gareth Hack
Baltimore duo Beach House, have reappeared with a beautifully euphoric addition to an ever popular back catalogue. The follow up to 2012’s Bloom, Depression Cherry is Beach House’s fifth studio release and is the soundscape for rich flavours and captivating layers.
Titles of certain tracks reflect the feel of the album quite appropriately, and deliver a harmoniously warming outcome. Songs such as ‘Levitation’, ‘Sparks’ and ‘Space Song’ share a recurring, shimmering quality.
’Levitation’ is nothing short of doing exactly what the song states. Flickers of dazzling keys and jubilant guitar work make for a compelling entrance into the overall nature of Depression Cherry. The group having described the album as “a return to simplicity, with songs structured around a melody and a few instruments”, suggesting that they were well aware of the intended process and outcome for this minimalist album.
Moving into a larger, echoey capacity, ’Sparks’ is Beach House at their most serious yet mysterious. Maintaining their curious musical characteristics and lyrical imagery, Victoria Legrand claims: “It’s a gift, taken from the lips / You live again.”
Hazy, trippy and unwinding from start to finish, Depression Cherry is a heavily electronic based experience, not that this hinders the album at all. Beach House have kept the previously favourable live drum sound to a minimum and opted for a drum machine instead, allowing a free flowing engagement with similar instrumentation.
Plain and simple, experimentation seems to be the moral behind the creation of the record. As the group explore larger venues with their increasing demand and touring responsibilities, a desire for a substantial sound to match is inevitable. While trial and error may be a revealing method of artistic craftwork, Depression Cherry only exposes positives. Effortless, slight and modest, the album isn’t desperately craving any unwanted attention. The attention is in the detail and that is where the virtuosity of Beach House’s new record lies.