HOAX Charm With ‘Beach House ii’
Harking back to their roots, HOAX unveil delicate new single Beach House ii.
New York-based duo HOAX may have dappled more in the realm of indie pop-rock with their recent releases, but they revisit their roots and take a trip back to the past with their newest single Beach House ii. The track comes in advance of the band’s coming debut and concept album b?, which offers a collection of perspectives in the aftermath of a tragedy to explore the concept of ‘being’. Beach House ii feeds into this theme by drawing on the topic of wistful thinking and regret, particularly how such feelings can arise when we prioritise short-term pleasures over the more important parts of our life.
Accompanied by sparkling guitars and sugary electronics, Beach House ii is a mellowing listen that effortlessly melts into your subconscious and takes over with its mellifluous tones. Dulcet vocals weave seamlessly into the sonic texture to create a rich sound that personifies the feeling of blissed-out summers, and you’ll feel the tensions being released with every falsetto tone. A subtle groove in the bass adds an irresistible hook without detracting from the chilled-out main melody, and the track is a fine example of a band who knows how to master different elements and bring them together into something unique.
Speaking more on the inspiration behind the track, the band shares:
This past year for me – and I would only imagine for most of us – has been a year of introspection. Being stuck inside – even if you tried to ignore it in the beginning – probably led to every one of us having a reckoning with ourselves. To me, ‘Beach House ii’ is the aftermath of one of those reckonings. The older we get, the more critical we think of our past decisions and actions. So much so that some of us can live the rest of our lives consumed in regret. This song is my reminder to not keep any of those regrets, and to realize that your short term priorities will not be the moments you think about in the future, so don’t put them before or above the important things. If there is anything this past year of magical thinking has taught me, it’s that, ‘Life changes fast; life changes in the instant’ (Joan Didion), but it’s important to hold on to the people and the things that you hold dear. Otherwise, you’ll end up a 20-something year old dripping with regret, writing a song like this.