Dream pop band, Beach House, has released two new singles from its upcoming album Depression Cherry— but there’s a crafty catch.
Fans must visit the band’s incredibly minimalist website beachhousebaltimore.com and follow the tab “Single Finder.” From here, users select their three favorite Beach House tracks. Only then will the site select one of the three released singles— “PPP,” “Sparks,” or “Beyond Love”— deemed most fitting based on musical similarities.
Referring to the idea behind the website, the band posted on Facebook:
“No one song ever feels like a perfect representative for a record. This device allows you all to choose the 3 songs you have enjoyed most in the past and have a “single” chosen for you based loosely on what we consider to be musical similarities. enjoy”
The question becomes whether Beach House’s new songs are too similar to their old. Victoria Legrand’s deep voice and the chime-laden melodies have become monotonously recognizable over the years. At first listen, “PPP” for example, sounds like a fusion of “Myth” and “Lazuli” but with a slower tempo. Even so, these subtle changes have resulted in generally favorable reviews. Isolating “PPP” as his favorite of the three, Jason Grishkoff of Indieshuffle.com describes it as “instantly recognizable as being Beach House, but different in and of its own right.”
The ability to interact with the website and contribute opinions is a plus; however, the band’s intention may fall short for those fans who want to fall in love with a slightly newer sound, with songs that diverge just a little more from those they have listened to for years.
