When twinkling synths usher the listener into Once Twice Melody—both the opening track and the album of the same name—it feels like you’re entering a fairytale, sprinkled with pixie dust.
But the mood quickly changes after the percussion and guitar come in and Beach House vocalist Victoria Legrand introduces a melancholic story about a woman attempting to process newfound loneliness while craving fantastical escapism.
With references to Peter Pan’s Neverland, Legrand outlines the woman’s life—it was once a fairytale, but has now “gone to hell,” as she later sings.
Beach House’s music has always had a cinematic quality, and that element is expanded on Once Twice Melody. The Baltimore-based duo of Legrand and Alex Scally divided the album into four chapters, each chronicling a relationship’s dissolution.
Beach House’s 2017 album, 7, featured some of the band’s darkest and most experimental tracks, and Once Twice Melody gets even more eclectic, delivering some of the most captivating work of band’s nearly two decade-long career.
Continue reading review where first published – The A.V. Club – by Tatiana Tenreyro
Continue reading review where first published – The A.V. Club – by Tatiana Tenreyro