Teen Dream was no where close to a flagship album for dream pop, but it sure as hell was a defining moment for the genre. Beach House seamlessly extended Teen Dream into their May 2012 release Bloom. With their natural, effortless maturation between Teen Dream and Bloom, Beach House has slipped into indie stardom. The pivotal fifth track – “The Hours” – lies between an explosive start – featuring two of Beach House’s pre-album-release singles – and a contemplative end where the melody lines are more sprawling then punchy.
“The Hours” (and pretty much all of Bloom) is the kind of song that should never end. The way the pulsing guitar matches with lead singer Victoria Legrand’s airy voice is so genuine, you want the verses to stack up so you can hear the forebodingly sweet chorus “Frightened eyes/ Looking back at me/ Change your mind/ Don’t care about me” until the end of time. From the song’s first cheap Casio synth drum to the unforgiving silence after the short, vocal-less chord at the end, Legrand has you swooning.
Check out “The Hours” below and make sure to listen to all of Bloom - it’s an instant classic.
