It’s been nearly a month since Depression Cherry was released—and yes, this review is a little late (more on that at the bottom).
But Beach House’s music isn’t something you rush through.
It’s meant to be absorbed, savored, and felt.
Baltimore duo Beach House—Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally—have made a name for themselves crafting ethereal, emotionally rich dream pop. Signed to the legendary Sub Pop, they broke through with their 2010 album Teen Dream and have been steady purveyors of beautiful melancholia ever since.
With Depression Cherry, their fifth studio album, the band returns to a more stripped-back, minimalist sound—a subtle recalibration after the more expansive textures of Bloom (2012). It’s not a reinvention, but rather a refinement.
This is Beach House doing what they do best: building delicate sonic worlds with synths, reverb-drenched guitar lines, and Legrand’s hypnotic vocals.
From the first track, Levitation, you’re gently lifted into their shimmering universe. The lead single Sparks is a hazy, fuzz-drenched anthem that ends with a hauntingly spiritual flourish—it genuinely feels like the walls of a cathedral are closing in around you. Space Song hits a perfect emotional register, evoking that bittersweet feeling of needing to hold on to someone who’s slipping away.
Tracks like PPP, Wildflower, and the stunning closer Days of Candy showcase the duo’s ability to balance beauty with sorrow, intimacy with grandeur. There’s an emotional resonance throughout that’s hard to shake.
Beach House aren’t chasing trends or reinventing the wheel here—and that’s kind of the point. They’re more interested in deepening the atmosphere they’ve been cultivating for over a decade. As the old saying goes: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Depression Cherry might not sound as bleak as the title implies, but it is an evocative and transportive dream pop record that reminds us how much we need music like this—especially when the world feels overwhelming.
Best Tracks:
- Levitation
- Sparks
- Space Song
- PPP
- Wildflower
- Days of Candy
Depression Cherry gets: 📷📷📷📷📷📷📷📷📷📷/10.
Comments
MEEEE I LOVE BEACH HOUSE!!!!
<3 <3
Yes please!
I’ll give you some Palm Bays if you pick me 😉
Pick me!
YABBA DABBA DO PICK ME MING WU!!
Me too please!!!!
me ming me ming me!!!
She’s a beach… hoooouuuuuse. Give me the record 🙂
Hey Ming! I just wanna win all the vinyl <3
Bloom was awesome, this record is equally great!
I Love me some depression cheery a nice vinyl copy would make it even better!
Me!
🌅🏠
♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
\0/
I would like this beautiful vinyl
ming! <3 me + vinyl = happy
!!!!!!
Yaaaas!
meeeeeeeeeeeeee!!
My life is incomplete without vinyl prizes!
Would love to win!!!! Beach house is wonderfully dreamy
I will drive back to Ottawa if I win this.
Please choose me & Rory!!
This is a popular one! Thanks Ming as always for the music and the photos!
😀 a great rainy-day record, love the direction Beach House is taking.
I would like to win this!