Beach House made big waves with their last album, Devotion, which was noted for its beautiful austerity and spartan soundscapes. Devotion was even good enough to make the band one of our “Artists to Watch” back in January. However, their 2008 breakthrough left something to be desired — namely a fullness of sound — something that Teen Dream provides with a vengeance. Drum machines intact, Beach House have put forth a stunningly atmospheric record worthy of the massive amounts of hype they’ve garnered in the indie rock (and Street) world.
If Devotion was good, Teen Dream is great. But it’s hard to describe exactly what changed between then and now. While a lo-fi, hollow sound remains the group’s modus operandi, they’ve coated Devotion’s crappy keyboards with a glossy sheen of high-production. Even so, Teen Dream is far from overproduced; instead, Beach House’s newly refined sound plays up the qualities that made them such a special band in the first place.
Teen Dream finds virtue in choruses that soar instead of artfully slumping, as they did on Devotion. First single “Norway,” an atmospheric romp through gorgeously tone-deaf keyboards, is the perfect embodiment of this new sound, yet several other tracks give “Norway” a run for its money. “Walk in the Park” and “Zebra” exude an overwhelming hopefulness, a stark contrast to the fashionably dreary sounds of their earlier work. Beach House’s latest straddles the line between soaring pop and meticulous artistry, yet Teen Dream never fails in its striking effectiveness.
4 Stars
