Depression Cherry — Beach House

SocialDistancingSoundtrack Day 21

‪“There’s a place I want to take you”‬

‪In a discography of gorgeous shoegaze-inspired indie rock, Depression Cherry is one of Beach House’s most meditative works. It’s a sea of fuzzy guitars and muted drums, narrated by swooning vocals that never break its dense atmosphere. ‪The melodies are warm, landing closer to folk than contemporaries like My Bloody Valentine. The drums, likewise, are organic but tightly processed. Muted percussive found sound — the clink of a glass, a lightly tapped bell — play surprisingly large rhythmic roles.

‪On the heavenly Space Song, a quiet drum machine loop only reveals itself for a moment before merging with brushed top drums for added warmth. The track is a velvet ballad punctuated by distant synths and a guitar hook that glides like a shooting star.‬

‪“Fall back into place”

‪Clockwork arpeggios glint through that song and others, like the nearly spoken word PPP. Its soft waltz sets the stage for a classic love story soaked in reverb and sustained guitar. Its descending hook melody carries the listener through its ebbs and flows, only expanding ‪to its climax at the end of its five minute runtime. These songs can feel like warped memories of big ideas once brushed aside. On Sparks, a looped vocal fragment sprouts into a lush soundscape.‬

‪“From the spine, rising through the mind‬

‪You give it up, just like a spark”

‪Melancholy reigns throughout the album, but optimism always glows through the cracks. The chord progressions smile weakly, but nonetheless smile. On Beyond Love, warm keys melt to form a backdrop to a drifting, pensive guitar melody. Wildflower treads a similar path with ‪vaguely 80s drums and synths playing an ode to an uncertain head lost in thought. ‬

‪“You know you’re not losing your mind‬

‪What’s left, you make something of it‬

‪Sky, what’s left above it?” ‬

‪Depression Cherry is a soundtrack to the intimacy of moments. These songs ‪are tense, but fleeting; they’re cathartic in their ability to convey emotion with minimal elements and then flicker away before overthinking. The resulting soundscape feels like the seconds just before a first kiss: full of nervous energy and bold restraint all at once. ‬