Bloom (Beach House album)
Bloom is the fourth studio album by American dream pop duo Beach House. It was released on May 15, 2012, through Sub Pop in the United States, Bella Union in Europe, Mistletone Records in Australia, and Arts & Crafts in Mexico. The entire album was arranged and performed by the duo, with Daniel Franz handling live drums and percussion, and lead vocalist Victoria Legrand handling the songwriting on all of the tracks. Alongside the duo, the album was produced by Chris Coady, who works with them for the second time, following his contributions on their third studio album, Teen Dream, which had been considered as their breakthrough album.
Bloom was written within over two years of touring and sound checks for Teen Dream, beginning March 2011, with some songs being written years prior. The album was recorded twice; demos were composed by the duo at their practice space in Baltimore and they later began recording them in 2011 at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, which took a period of seven to nine weeks to accomplish. Relying on a 24-track analog tape to record the tracks, the duo chose to record in Texas after being captivated in the area while resting at El Paso during a tour. Additional vocals were recorded at Magpie Cage in Baltimore and the album's mixing was handled at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, where it was first rumored that the band had completed the album. The album was leaked in February 2012, although it consisted of low-quality versions of the tracks.
Musically, Bloom has been described by critics as a dream pop record, with the duo further leaning away from their initial lo-fi music style found on their earlier studio albums, continuing to add live drums to their song arrangements and supplementing their drum machine rhythms. Several critics also noted a few shoegaze, indie pop and new wave influences within several tracks on the album, while the band stated that material within the album has a darker sound than Teen Dream and themes revolving around heartbreak, longing, death and lost love. The album was met with praise among contemporary music critics upon release, many whom complimented its instrumental arrangements, with some additionally considering it the duo's best album; it was named as one of the best albums of 2012 by several publications, including Consequence, Obscure Sound, Pitchfork, PopMatters and Under the Radar.
Initially, Beach House received a deal to distribute Bloom at various Starbucks stores, but they instead rejected the offer. It was mainly supported by its two singles, "Myth" and "Lazuli", the former which was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2023, and received critical acclaim upon their respective releases. It was also supported with a set of music videos, a supporting summer tour and an international fall tour, marketed as the Frightened Eyes Tour, and Forever Still, a short film featuring live performances of songs from the album, which was released in 2013. The album debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200, selling 41,000 copies in its first week, earning the duo their highest-charting album on the chart; it also charted within the top 20 in six other countries.
Background
began writing and recording their third studio album in 2009, which would serve as a follow-up to their second studio album Devotion. In the midst of doing so, they were offered a contract signing with American record label Sub Pop on September of that year, whose cash infusion would allow the duo to work with a producer, Chris Coady, who would then contribute on production for the album. With this deal, they also announced their third studio album Teen Dream and its slated release through the label, marking their departure from Carpark Records, where they released their first two studio albums.Despite Teen Dream being leaked on the internet later in 2009, it saw an official release through Sub Pop on January 26, 2010, becoming their first album release through the label. It was met with critical acclaim upon release. Teen Dream was also a commercial success, selling over 137,000 units by May 2012, according to Nielsen SoundScan. In 2011, guitarist Alex Scally stated that, as soon as Beach House finish touring for Teen Dream, which was considered as their breakthrough album, they were going to wait for the writing procedure of their next album to be inspired. That same year, while touring, they have also had thoughts about working on their fourth studio album, revealing that they have already written a few songs for it.
Recording
Beach House had planned some ideas for Bloom after they finished recording Teen Dream, writing the album in between various sound checks and "myriad" experiences while on tour for two years. In March 2011, like they have done with their previous albums, they began writing Bloom in their hometown, Baltimore. Lead vocalist Victoria Legrand stated that there were at least 30 ideas for Bloom, with only 10 of those going towards the album. Some songs were also written years prior, stating that they have continued writing them since then. After writing a quantity of songs for the album, they recorded several demos in their practice space in their hometown. Thereafter, as soon as the duo finished touring in support of Teen Dream, they began recording the album at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, in which Chris Coady again handled production, as well as engineering and mixing, and Daniel Franz providing live drums and percussion throughout.When the band arrived to Sonic Ranch, they were surprised to spot that it "almost exactly the same dimensions as Dreamland," where they recorded their previous album Teen Dream. Approaching the recording process through the "all-work-and-no-play" method, the entire album was recorded on a 24-track analog tape, and the duo bought their own instruments to the recording sessions, avoiding the usage of the studio's provided instruments. Coady also placed several distant microphones in the recording room to record the spacious guitar sounds. Recorded within a period of seven to nine weeks, or within two months, they chose to record in Texas after being captivated by the area while staying at a motel in El Paso during a tour. They also stated that they recorded there for "very unglamorous, technical" reasons, explaining that "it's not just about going someplace cool to record just because it’s cool." Additional vocals for Bloom were recorded at Magpie Cage in Baltimore, with mixing also being handled at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, where it was initially rumored in January 2012 that Beach House had worked on the album, and Sonic Ranch.
"Wild" and "Other People" were previously performed on live shows in 2011. "Wherever You Go", the album's hidden track, was written during the Teen Dream recording sessions, though it wasn't finished up until the Bloom sessions; the duo stated that they loved the song but thought it was reminiscent of their previous style of music. Another song written during the Bloom sessions was "Equal Mind", which did not appear on the album and was instead released as the B-side to "Lazuli" after realizing that it had instrumental similarities to "Other People", specifically its tempo, thus stating that it "did not fit" on the album; initially, it was confirmed that the song would "never exist" in a digital format. Built around a piano loop recorded around this time, "Saturn Song" was another song being worked on during the sessions, which later saw an official release as part of the compilation album The Space Project. These three tracks were later included on the band's compilation album B-Sides and Rarities.
Musical style
Bloom has been described as a dream pop album, with a few noticeable musical influences, which are found throughout separate tracks on the album, being labelled as shoegaze, indie pop and new wave. Like their previous album Teen Dream, the album consists of more incorporation of live drums, with its overall music arrangements and structures being "uncomplicated and meticulously" assembled, featuring thrumming synthesizers, luminous and jangly guitar tones, winding pre-programmed tempos, amorphous drones and twinkling melodies. By sticking to this style, it also sees Beach House leaning away from their initial lo-fi style and ambient influences found within their earlier studio albums, going more towards "high-grade" pop. Michell Eloy of Paste stated that the structural elements of the band's sound remain the same on this album, adding that they are arranged in such way that intensifies the band's distinct musical style, additionally denoting its polished production. With each song on the album being at least four minutes long, some critics also noted the usage of field recordings that are used to seamlessly transition a majority of the songs on the album, including sounds of birds chirping and cars passing by. Stated in an interview with Pitchfork, there are a total of four recordings of such, with Scally revealing that one of them is the sound of a flock of coyotes.Initially, Beach House hinted that Bloom would feature a more darker sound than Teen Dream and wanted it to have a "similar vision" to albums such as The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, The Cure's Disintegration and Depeche Mode's Violator. American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan was also an influence on the album, specifically one of the verses from his song "Mr. Tambourine Man," which Scally had listened to during his adolescence; upon remembering the verse halfway through the writing process of Bloom, the band wanted that same feeling compacted onto the album. Thematically and lyrically, Bloom revolves around heartbreak, lost love, death, revival, longing and the inability of moving on; Lindsay Zoladz of Pitchfork stated that the album features more "straightforward" lyrics, "yet they're somehow suggestive of larger things." Heather Phares of AllMusic also stated that its "shimmering remoteness enhances the album's philosophical, searching approach to love and loss." Regarding the album's narrative in an interview with Wondering Sound, Scally explained that listeners should be able to construct their own narratives based on how they hear the album, further noting that controlling people's reactions serves no purpose. He also stated in an interview with The Line of Best Fit that the songs "encompass a much bigger slice of life."