Beach House – Bloom (released May 14th on Bella Union) 

Everything about Beach House screams less is more; although they perhaps would prefer to replace the scream with more of an understated nod of acknowledgement.

As is evident from their previous album – 2010’s Teen Dream – Beach House are all about minimalism and the power of the understatement. Rather than the immediate burst of excitement that overwhelms you on first listening to great music – a feeling that most would agree is a rarity – the Baltimore duo weave a more subtle tapestry that unravels and reveals itself in different ways with each listen. Indeed, much of what they produced on their last album conformed to this idea. From the almost lethargic vocals and their droning synthetic landscapes, to the humble, primitive beginnings of each of their tracks, they give the impression of minimalism. Even the faint zebra-striped album artwork requires a real close attention to admire its intricate detail.

But yet, within this simple approach lies an unreserved competence that simply bursts through in a way quite out of keeping with Beach House’s regular approach. Exhibit A is Zebra – the opening track from Teen Dream. On the surface, Zebra has a pleasant melody that doesn’t immediately strike you; in fact, my initial impression was that it sounded very odd and unlike anything I had heard before. With repeated listens, it reveals a mesmerising quality borne from its unusual chord sequences, however, soon enough these same feelings - that have initially acted to disorientate - reassemble themselves into a track of complex, majestic beauty.

The first single and indeed, the opening track of their soon-to-be-released album Bloom, appears to be of a similar ilk to their previous opener. Myth shares the same blissful chord changes and the feeling of travelling in a perpetual, circular motion. I for one simply cannot wait to see what the rest of the album sounds like.

Bloom’s Op-Art-style album artwork essentially shows what Beach House are ultimately trying to achieve. Superficially, it is a grid of white dots of varying but sorted sizes on a black background - unimpressive and somewhat bland. However, once you notice that these white dots are receding to two vanishing points and are in fact, subtly different shapes, you begin to appreciate the hidden complexity that lies beneath. Like the magic eye puzzles, all they require of you is that you focus your attention for long enough to experience its hidden wonder.