Beach House - Myth

A century flower takes its time to come into full bloom. 23 years, in fact. In between its burst of light and its early existence is a gap of monumental length, with no real signs of what’s to come. But by the time it chooses to show its true form, it raises to an enormous height, colossal compared to what it once was.

I’m telling you this 1) because Beach House have an album out soon titled ‘Bloom’ and 2) while we’re on the subject, you could easily compare Beach House’s career to a century flower, if latest song ‘Myth’ is any indication. Granted, we’ve had signs of this stunning shedding of skin for some time — previous album ‘Teen Dream’ has outlasted most of its contemporaries in terms of longevity and appeal — but this freshest offering feels equivalent to that final push, the complete bloom. Beach House’s career today is nothing at all like a mirror-image of its beginnings, where a shy-looking duo bided their time and emerged with a few sweet-tasting songs. Today they genuinely feel like they’re on the brink of something huge, with ‘Myth’ all but confirming our premonitions.

Like every perfectly-constructed song from the pair, it builds from a sharp guitar line, into a blossoming creature of many vibrant colours. Its chorus is flooring, its emotions on full technicolor display. It has every chance of going down among the band’s best, while its associated album has all the makings of a great step forward.