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Album Review

Beach House – ‘Become’ [EP] [Album Review]

Equally balancing melancholy with brightness, the ‘Become’ EP (Sub Pop) remains aligned with the ethereal haziness listeners expect from Beach House.

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Beach House ‘Become’ EP album artwork

In recognition of Record Store Day 2023, dream pop duo Beach House has unleashed the five-song EP, Become. The lush EP features a collection of songs initially brought to life during the writing sessions for Once Twice Melody, the band’s most recent album. The pair, Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally have commented: “We didn’t think they fit in the world of Once Twice Melody, but later realized they all fit in a little world of their own.”

The opener, “American Daughter,” makes for a strong start. The track steadily plugs along, gradually adding to the arrangement layer by layer to create a feeling of ascension. The sense of uplift that “American Daughter” brought earlier quickly melts into “Devil’s Pool,” where the open and mellow tone remains for the rest of the EP. Echoing guitar accents the track, while the addition of strings brings it all to a gentle close.

“Holiday House” sees the duo channelling the likes of Enya with Legrand’s enchanting vocals floating delicately around a synth lead. Further leaning into the delay and reverb, “Black Magic” continues to explore the subtle emotional nuances of the band’s cosmic sound.

Lastly, the title track conjures memories of Slowdive with its exceptional spaciousness. Building upon itself with a strummed acoustic guitar, thin backing vocals and strings, “Become” is the EP’s most mystical contribution.

Equally balancing melancholy with brightness, Become remains aligned with the ethereal haziness listeners expect from Beach House. Although the EP is a pleasantly enjoyable effort, it seems the band that helped to re-sculpt the dream pop genre may have come to rest on their laurels for a bit.

Become was released on exclusive clear vinyl on April 22 and was released digitally on May 2nd. Physical copies will hit record stores on May 19.

Become Track Listing:

1. American Daughter
2. Devil’s Pool
3. Holiday House
4. Black Magic
5. Become

Run Time: 24:29
Release Date: April 22, 2023
Record Label: Sub Pop

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