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7 (Beach House album)

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7
Studio album by
Beach House
ReleasedMay 11, 2018 (2018-05-11)
Recorded2017
Studio
Genre
Length47:04
Label
Producer
Beach House chronology
B-Sides and Rarities
(2017) 		7
(2018) 		Once Twice Melody
(2022)
Singles from 7
  1. "Lemon Glow"
    Released: February 15, 2018
  2. "Dive"
    Released: March 7, 2018
  3. "Dark Spring"
    Released: April 2, 2018
  4. "Black Car"
    Released: May 2, 2018
  5. "Lose Your Smile"
    Released: October 23, 2018

7 is the seventh studio album by American dream pop band Beach House, released on May 11, 2018, through Sub Pop and Bella Union. It follows the B-Sides and Rarities compilation album released in 2017, which served as a proverbial "cleaning out the closet" to pave the way for a new creative process.[1]

The album saw the group departing from longtime producer Chris Coady and instead collaborating with Sonic Boom, whilst not having a producer "in the traditional sense". The recording of the album lasted over eleven months, as opposed to the speedy process of previous efforts, beginning in the duo's home studio in Baltimore and finishing at Carriage House and Palmetto Studio. 7 received acclaim from music critics, who praised the adventurous nature of the record and the consistency of the band, with some calling it the duo's best album to date.

Five singles were released from the album: "Lemon Glow", "Dive", "Dark Spring", "Black Car", and "Lose Your Smile".

Background and recording

[edit]

Beach House released the B-Sides and Rarities compilation album in 2017, which served as a proverbial "cleaning out the closet" to pave the way for a new creative process.[1] Unlike with previous records, Beach House took their time with the recording process of 7. Instead of one long studio session, they recorded when inspired by batches of songs, which resulted in five mini-sessions over the course of eleven months throughout 2017. All of the songs on the album began in the duo's home studio in Baltimore called Apple Orchard Studios, and were finished at Carriage House in Stamford, CT, with "Lose Your Smile" and "Woo" being recorded at Palmetto Studio in Los Angeles.[1][2]

The band stated that their goal throughout the recording process of the album was "rebirth and rejuvenation," continuing: "We wanted to rethink old methods and shed some self-imposed limitations. In the past, we often limited our writing to parts that we could perform live. On 7, we decided to follow whatever came naturally. As a result, there are some songs with no guitar, and some without keyboard. There are songs with layers and production that we could never recreate live, and that is exciting to us. Basically, we let our creative moods, instead of instrumentation, dictate the album's feel."[3]

The band also stated that 7 did not have a producer in the traditional sense, which let the ideas drive the creativity and not any one person's creative process. The band's touring drummer since 2016, James Barone, played on the entire record. They also worked with Peter Kember, known by the stage name Sonic Boom, who helped "in the shedding of conventions and in helping to keep the songs alive, fresh and protected from the destructive forces of recording studio over-production/over-perfection."[4]

Composition

[edit]

7 has been described as a dream pop album,[5][6] with incorporations of shoegaze[7][8] and psychedelic pop.[9] Thematically, 7 often deals with "the beauty that arises in dealing with darkness; the empathy and love that grows from collective trauma; the place one reaches when they accept rather than deny." The album's title itself simply represents it being the duo's seventh studio album, saying they "hoped its simplicity would encourage people to look inside. No title using words that we could find felt like an appropriate summation of the album," although they later mentioned that the number 7 represents some interesting connections in numerology, which further inspired them in naming the album as such.[3] Edie Sedgwick inspired the black-and-white pop art visuals and psych heavy sound of the album. "I was drawn to somebody like Edie because she has beauty on the outside but she also struggled with her mask," Legrand stated.[10]

Legrand described the album's sound as a natural progression and a product of her maturing as an artist, saying, "There were a lot of new and different things that went into making this record. But I think that the way that we wrote, and how we recorded while we wrote, really increased the speed of capturing ideas and gave us a lot more freedom than previous records... I think every time you do something, you become more adept at it. You sort of know better and don't get fooled the same way you got fooled when you were younger."[11] The band cited the "societal insanity" during 2016 and 2017 as a deep influence on the creation of the record, elaborating: "there is quite a bit of chaos happening in these songs, and a pervasive dark field that we had little control over. The discussions surrounding women's issues were a constant source of inspiration and questioning. The energy, lyrics and moods of much of this record grew from ruminations on the roles, pressures and conditions that our society places on women, past and present. The twisted double edge of glamour, with its perils and perfect moments, was an endless source."[12]

Release and promotion

[edit]

The band released "Lemon Glow" on February 15, 2018, and announced it as the lead single from 7, which was untitled at the time of announcement and stated would be released "later this spring" of the same year.[13] A "groovy checkered" visualizer was released to accompany the single on the same day.[14] They eventually announced the album as 7, unveiling its album cover and track list in addition, on March 7, 2018, and also announced that they would embark a world tour in support of the album, which began on April 30 in Chattanooga, Tennessee and concluded on October 20, 2018, in Dublin.[1][15] On the same day, they released its second single and its accompanying visualizer, "Dive", and set a pre-order for the album.[16][17] They released "Dark Spring" as the album's third single on April 2, of the same year, alongside a music video directed by Zia Anger.[18][19] On April 27, 2018, two weeks prior to the release of the album, an exclusive stream of 7 was accessible, via Sub Pop's website, to Sub Pop customers who pre-ordered the album.[3] "Black Car" was released as the fourth single on May 2, 2018, along with its accompanying visualizer.[20]

7 was officially released on CD, vinyl, cassette, digital download and streaming services on May 11, 2018, through Sub Pop worldwide, Bella Union in Europe and Mistletone in Australia/New Zealand, respectively.[21] An accompanying animated album visualizer, which was entirely directed by San Charoenchai, was uploaded to the band's YouTube channel upon the album's release, with each song being accompanied by psychedelic animations in black and white.[22] Days after the album's release, Beach House performed a live in-studio session on KCRW in Los Angeles on May 15.[23] They also performed "Drunk in LA" as musical guests on Jimmy Kimmel Live! the following day.[24] An accompanying music video for "Black Car" was directed by Legrand's brother, Alistair Legrand, and was released on June 18.[25] A music video for "Drunk in LA", which was directed by Peter Kember, co-producer of 7, was released on September 11, 2018, with a Sonic Boom remix of "Black Car" being released on the same day.[26] On October 23, 2018, the band released a limited edition 7-inch vinyl of "Lose Your Smile", containing a new track from the recording sessions of 7 titled "Alien" as its B-side. It was sold during the band's European tour, in dates from September to October.[27] In addition, a visualizer for "Alien" was uploaded on the same day, which was directed by Charoenchai, and was also released as a standalone single to digital download and streaming services.[28][29] On the same day, they announced later Australian tour dates, which included shows between February and March 2019.[30]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.8/10[31]
Metacritic80/100[32]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[33]
The A.V. ClubA−[34]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[5]
The Guardian[8]
The Independent[6]
The Irish Times[35]
Pitchfork8.9/10[36]
Q[37]
Rolling Stone[9]
Uncut7/10[38]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, 7 received an average score of 80, based on 29 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[32] In her review for The Independent, Roisin O'Connor wrote, "Instead of limiting themselves, Beach House are finally embracing all of their creative moments, which have inevitably challenged them to become better artists."[6] The Line of Best Fit's Chris Taylor stated that 7 is "as much of a reinvention as we're likely to get from Beach House but even those small steps to the left offer up yet another captivating record," and finished his review saying, "By this point, we really should just stop worrying about when Beach House are going to go stale because it's still nowhere near happening. It's still a pleasure to be lost in their world."[39] Writing for Stereogum, Gabriela Tully Claymore called 7 the duo's "boldest album yet".[40] Eugenie Johnson of The Skinny wrote, "While they may not have completely achieved seventh heaven here, 7 is still a solid first step heralding Beach House's next phase."[41]

Rolling Stone's Simon Vozick-Levinson called 7 "a radical blast of psychedelic pop bliss," saying "These are big songs, full of wonder, and Beach House know it. Seven albums in, they're at the start of something new."[9] Jayson Greene of Pitchfork praised the album, writing "Beach House remain masters of the indefinable and their seventh album is their heaviest and most immersive-sounding of their career."[36] AllMusic critic Heather Phares wrote, "Throughout 7, Beach House feel more concerned with capturing moments fully rather than conforming to notions of what a cohesive album is. That these songs sound like they came from different albums is ultimately more refreshing than disorienting, and the excitement that courses through each track is palpable."[33] David Sackllah of Consequence of Sound said, "7 finds the band taking risks and unlearning the parameters they had set for themselves to craft their most adventurous record yet," concluding: "By retooling their sound and shaking off any complacency that may have settled in, Beach House make their claim as one of the preeminent indie rock bands of the decade."[42] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly said "7's artful wooziness is hardly new, but for Beach House, it feels like home."[5] Frank Guan of Vulture called 7 the duo's best album yet, writing "the darkness and directness of its sound, combined with Legrand's customary sibylline vocals, add up to something welcome and unprecedented in the Beach House catalogue — their best album in an already impressive set."[43]

Kelsey J. Waite of The A.V. Club wrote, "With 7, Legrand and Scally have gotten freer themselves. This is the sound of a band that knows itself extremely well and yet, in seeking outside perspectives and embracing imperfection, has discovered a whole new level to explore. If this album feels like an alternate-reality Beach House, it's because Legrand and Scally have altered their reality."[34] Tiny Mix Tapes' Matthew Neale gave 7 a perfect score and called it the duo's greatest album.[44][45] Clash lauded the record, writing: "The Baltimore duo have somehow gifted us their masterpiece, and though the rain outside has now stopped, new heavens have opened."[7] Joe Goggins of Drowned in Sound said that 7 is "a record that gets closer to the band's self-imposed boundaries than they ever have before without really threatening to break them down."[46] Flood Magazine's Alex Swhear praised the record's "expansive, almost oceanic aura."[47]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Beach House

No.TitleLength
1."Dark Spring"3:24
2."Pay No Mind"3:24
3."Lemon Glow"4:04
4."L'Inconnue"4:24
5."Drunk in LA"3:59
6."Dive"4:25
7."Black Car"4:11
8."Lose Your Smile"4:09
9."Woo"4:14
10."Girl of the Year"3:51
11."Last Ride"6:59
Total length:47:04

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of 7.[2]

  • Beach House – arrangement, performance; production, engineering
  • James Barone – live drums (arrangement, performance); engineering (including drums on track 6)
  • Sonic Boom – accordion (track 5), drill (track 3); production
  • Mikhail Pivovarov – engineering
  • David Tolemei – engineering, additional editing and recording
  • Jason Quever – engineering (tracks 8, 9)
  • Alan Moulder – mixing
  • Caesar Edmunds – engineering (mix)
  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • Post Typography – album art, design

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[48] 39
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[49] 10
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[50] 55
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[51] 65
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[52] 31
French Albums (SNEP)[53] 65
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[54] 41
Irish Albums (OCC)[55] 28
Irish Independent Albums (IRMA)[56] 3
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[57] 1
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[58] 21
Scottish Albums (OCC)[59] 14
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[60] 19
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[61] 54
UK Albums (OCC)[62] 16
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[63] 3
US Billboard 200[64] 20
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[65] 2
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[66] 3
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[67] 3

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Label Format Ref.
Various May 11, 2018 Sub Pop
[21]
Europe Bella Union
Australia Mistletone
New Zealand

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ "Lose Your Smile" and "Woo"
  2. ^ Drums on "Dive"

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "Beach House announce new album "7"". Bella Union. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  2. ^ a b 7 (LP liner notes). Beach House. Sub Pop. 2018. SP1240.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ a b c "Beach House – 7". Sub Pop. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  4. ^ "Beach House To Release '7', The Group's 7th Album, Worldwide On May 11th, 2018. Now Experience The Transcendent New Track, "Dive"". Sub Pop. March 7, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c Greenblatt, Leah (May 3, 2018). "Beach House deliver more woozy, artful dream pop on new album 7: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c O'Connor, Roisin (May 9, 2018). "Album reviews: Brent Cobb, Simian Mobile Disco, Jess Williamson, Beach House, Bad Wolves". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2018-05-10. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Neale, Matthew (May 14, 2018). "Beach House - 7". Clash. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Hann, Michael (May 11, 2018). "Beach House: 7 review – dream-poppers follow their glorious rulebook". The Guardian. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  9. ^ a b c Vozick-Levinson, Simon (May 10, 2018). "Review: Beach House's '7' Is a Radical Blast of Psychedelic Pop Bliss". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  10. ^ Lin, Summer (2018-05-11). "Beach House's Victoria Legrand on Eternal Muse Edie Sedgwick". CR Fashion Book. Archived from the original on 2022-01-27. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  11. ^ Gardner, Jeff (July 26, 2018). "Capturing the Ether". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  12. ^ Rettig, James (April 24, 2018). "Beach House \7\ Interview". Stereogum. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  13. ^ Minsker, Evan (15 February 2018). "Beach House Ready New Album, Share New Song "Lemon Glow": Listen". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  14. ^ Maicki, Salvatore (February 14, 2018). "Beach House return with new single". The Fader. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  15. ^ Hyun Kim, Michelle; Minsker, Evan (March 7, 2018). "Beach House Detail New Album 7, Plot World Tour". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 22, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  16. ^ Yoo, Noah (7 March 2018). "Beach House Share New Song "Dive": Listen". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  17. ^ F. Stolberg, Kjartan (7 March 2018). "Hør Beach Houses nye sang 'Dive' – se lækket trackliste til det kommende album" [Listen to Beach House's new song 'Dive' - see the tracklist for the upcoming album]. soundvenue.com (in Danish). Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  18. ^ Salvatore, Maicki. "Beach House share new single, "Dark Spring."". The Fader. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  19. ^ Leas, Ryan (April 3, 2018). "Beach House "Dark Spring" Video". Stereogum. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  20. ^ "Beach House Share New Song "Black Car"". Pitchfork. May 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  21. ^ a b "Beach House's 7, Their Incredible New Album, Is Out Today". Sub Pop. May 11, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2018. Beach House's 7 [...] is out worldwide today on CD/LP/DL/CS from Sub Pop, Bella Union (in Europe) and Mistletone (in Australia/New Zealand).
  22. ^ Maicki, Salvatore (May 11, 2018). "Plunge into Beach House's 7 with their animated album visualizer". The Fader. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  23. ^ ""Black Car" Is the Latest Track from 7, the Acclaimed Forthcoming Album by Beach House". Sub Pop. May 2, 2018. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  24. ^ Kim, Michelle (May 17, 2018). "Watch Beach House Perform "Drunk in LA" on "Kimmel"". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  25. ^ Yoo, Noah (June 18, 2018). "Beach House Share New "Black Car" Video". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  26. ^ Hyun Kim, Michelle (September 11, 2018). "Beach House Share New 'Drunk in LA' Video: Watch". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  27. ^ Citations for availability of the "Lose Your Smile / Alien" 7-inch vinyl:
  28. ^ Serota, Maggie (October 23, 2018). "Beach House Release "Alien" B-side". Spin. Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  29. ^ Alston, Trey (October 23, 2018). "Beach House Share New Song "Alien": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  30. ^ Williams, Tom (October 23, 2018). "Beach House Announce 2019 Australian Tour Dates". Music Feeds. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  31. ^ "7 by Beach House reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  32. ^ a b "7 by Beach House Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  33. ^ a b Phares, Heather. "7 – Beach House". AllMusic. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  34. ^ a b Waite, Kelsey J. (May 11, 2018). "Beach House finds beauty in chaos on album no. 7". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on May 12, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  35. ^ Van Nguyen, Dean (May 11, 2018). "Beach House '7' review: Another great album to add to the pile". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on May 11, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  36. ^ a b Greene, Jayson (May 11, 2018). "Beach House: 7". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  37. ^ Doherty, Niall (July 2018). "Beach House: 7". Q (386): 108.
  38. ^ Williamson, Nigel (June 2018). "Beach House: 7". Uncut (253): 24.
  39. ^ Taylor, Chris (May 1, 2018). "Beach House – 7 | Album Review". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on May 11, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  40. ^ Tully Claymore, Gabriela (May 7, 2018). "Premature Evaluation: Beach House 7". Stereogum. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  41. ^ Johnson, Eugenie (May 8, 2018). "Beach House – 7 album review". The Skinny. Archived from the original on May 11, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  42. ^ Sackllah, David (May 10, 2018). "Beach House Retool and Reinvigorate on the Remarkable 7". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  43. ^ Guan, Frank (May 11, 2018). "The New Beach House Album Is Their Best Yet". Vulture. Archived from the original on May 13, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  44. ^ @tinymixtapes (May 13, 2018). "Review: Beach House release their greatest album with "7"" (Tweet). Retrieved May 15, 2018 – via Twitter.
  45. ^ Neale, Matthew (May 13, 2018). "Beach House - 7 | Music Review". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  46. ^ Goggins, Joe (May 13, 2018). "Album Review: Beach House - 7". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  47. ^ Swhear, Alex (May 16, 2018). "Beach House, "7"". Flood Magazine. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  48. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Beach House – 7". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  49. ^ "Ultratop.be – Beach House – 7" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  50. ^ "Ultratop.be – Beach House – 7" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  51. ^ "Beach House Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  52. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Beach House – 7" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  53. ^ "Lescharts.com – Beach House – 7". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  54. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Beach House – 7" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  55. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  56. ^ "Top 20 Independent – Week Ending 18 May 2018". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on May 18, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  57. ^ "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 21, 2018. Archived from the original on May 18, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  58. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Beach House – 7". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  59. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  60. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Beach House – 7". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  61. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Beach House – 7". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  62. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  63. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  64. ^ "Beach House Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  65. ^ "Beach House Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  66. ^ "Beach House Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  67. ^ "Beach House Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
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