Beach House – Once Twice Melody (2xLP)

Beach House present their new, eighth studio album in 2022. Whereas, actually, one could say their eighth and ninth, because "Once Twice Melody" has become a double album.

The writing and recording of the record began in 2018 and was completed in July 2021. Most of the songs were written during that time, with a few dating back ten years. For the majority of the recording, the U.S.-French dream-pop duo, consisting of lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Victoria Legrand and guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Alex Scally, rented space at Apple Orchard Studio in their Baltimore home. As with their predecessors, they co-wrote all the tracks. "Once Twice Melody," however, is the first album the band produced on its own. Most of the mixing was done by Alan Moulder, along with Caesar Edmunds, Trevor Spencer and Dave Fridmann. Some drum parts were contributed by James Barone, as on the previous album "7". In addition, for the first time on a Beach House album, a live string ensemble can be heard, arranged by David Campbell.

The result of this productive collaboration includes 18 songs, which are presented in four chapters on "Once Twice Melody". Many different styles and song structures can be heard in these songs. Songs without drums, songs with acoustic guitar in the center, mostly electronic songs without guitar, wandering and repeating melodies, songs built on strings. In addition to the new sounds, many of the drum machines, organs, keyboards and sounds that the listener associates with earlier Beach House records are present in the compositions.

"Once Twice Melody" comes as a double CD as well as a double LP, optionally as Silver or Gold Edition. There is also a double MC

Reviews

"Great head cinema to switch off and dream in - the perfect escape from reality." (Audio, March 2022)