Beach House - 7 Vinyl LP

7 is our seventh full-length record. By its release, we’ll have been a band for over thirteen years, having written and released a total of seventy-seven songs together. After putting out an album of b-sides and rarities last year, we felt ready for a new beginning—clearing out the past and starting fresh. With 7, our goal was rebirth and rejuvenation. We wanted to rethink our process, let go of old limitations, and follow whatever came naturally. Some songs have no guitar, others no keyboard; many feature layers and textures we could never reproduce live, and that freedom was exciting. This time, we built a home studio and began every song there, later finishing them in professional studios to keep the energy of creation alive. Without a traditional producer, the ideas led the process. Our drummer James Barone, who joined us in 2016, played throughout the record, keeping rhythm at its heart, while Sonic Boom (Peter Kember) helped us shed conventions and protect the music’s raw vitality.

The turbulent atmosphere of 2016–2017 inevitably seeped into the album, coloring it with chaos, beauty, and reflection. Many songs were inspired by conversations around women’s issues—the pressures, contradictions, and dualities society imposes. Themes of darkness and light run throughout, exploring the empathy and strength that emerge from struggle and acceptance. The title 7 simply marks our seventh record, but it also holds symbolic meaning. In numerology and early spirituality, seven represents renewal, elevation, and the highest form of truth—“Seventh Heaven.” To us, it feels like both an ending and a new beginning, a “semi-first.” At our best creative moments, we felt connected to something deeper, and we hope listeners will feel that too.

Much love,
Beach House