"Sparks" | ||||
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Single by Beach House | ||||
from the album Depression Cherry | ||||
Released | July 1, 2015 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 5:21 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Beach House singles chronology | ||||
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Visualizer | ||||
"Sparks" on YouTube |
"Sparks" is a song by American dream pop band Beach House. The song was released on July 1, 2015, through Sub Pop, as the lead single for their fifth studio album Depression Cherry (2015). [1] A visualizer for the song was uploaded on the band's YouTube channel on the same day.
On June 26, 2015, Beach House announced on Twitter that they would play "Sparks" on SiriusXMU on July 1, adding that it would be the lead single for their then-upcoming album Depression Cherry . [2]
Victoria Legrand from the band, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly , said that the song happened because of a "wild" sound from a keyboard the duo bought in Texas during the recording sessions of Bloom . She also states the song as "a nice beginning of another place that still has some of the past in it." [3]
"Sparks" was released on July 1, 2015. It was chosen as a single by the duo not because they thought that it would be a hit, but because of "the ability for the song to connect between their previous songs and Depression Cherry." [3]
"Sparks" would also be released on the band's website, along with "PPP" and "Beyond Love"—which were released a month later. [4] In order to access any of the three singles, one would use the now-unavailable "Single Finder" feature on the band's website and would have to pick their top three Beach House songs, which determines which one of the three singles would likely be their favorite. [5]
The song begins with a vocal loop of Legrand's voice that was "accidentally" captured at the duo's soundcheck in Bristol, England, with her and Alex Scally being fascinated by the sound of it; it was added as background vocals running throughout the entire song. [6] The vocal loop is "broken by a ripping, shoegaze-y" guitar", as described by Pitchfork . [7]
Chosen as "Best New Track", Eric Torres of Pitchfork described the song as "a distilled version of the devotionals with which Beach House first found their footing, pulling from the past while looking resolutely into the future." [7]
Beach House
Additional
Beach House is an American indie band formed in Baltimore in 2004 by current members Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally. Their work is characterized by a hypnotic dream pop style.
Beach House is the debut studio album by American dream pop duo Beach House. It was released on October 3, 2006, by Carpark Records in North America, Bella Union in Europe, and Mistletone Records in Australia. The album received mostly positive reviews from music critics.
Devotion is the second studio album by American dream pop duo Beach House. It was released on February 26, 2008, by Carpark Records in North America, Bella Union in Europe, and Mistletone Records in Australia. Written in the early months of 2007, it was recorded at Lord Baltimore Recording Studio within two months. The album was released to mostly positive reviews from music critics and is their first album to enter the Billboard 200 chart, debuting at number 195, selling roughly 3,000 copies upon its release. As of April 2012 Devotion has sold 49,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen Soundscan.
"Used to Be" is a song by American dream pop band Beach House from their third studio album, Teen Dream. It was written by lead vocalist and keyboardist Victoria Legrand and guitarist Alex Scally and produced by them along with Chris Coady. The song was released on October 21, 2008 as the album's lead single and features a B-side of a different version of "Apple Orchard", a song which featured on their self-titled debut album.
"Two Weeks" is a song by the American indie rock band Grizzly Bear, and the first single from the band's third studio album, Veckatimest. Featuring backing vocals from Victoria Legrand, singer and organist for the dream pop duo Beach House, it was released as a single on June 1, 2009. The song's debut live performance was on the Late Show with David Letterman in July 2008.
Teen Dream is the third studio album by American dream pop duo Beach House. It was released on January 26, 2010 as the band's debut album on the record label Sub Pop. Internationally, the album was released by Bella Union in Europe, Mistletone Records in Australia, and Arts & Crafts in Mexico. The album was produced by the band and Chris Coady.
Best Coast is an American rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 2009, currently on hiatus. The band consisted of songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Bethany Cosentino and guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. Cosentino, a former child actress, began writing music as a teenager and was formerly a member of the experimentalist drone group Pocahaunted. After a brief stint at college in New York City, Cosentino returned to the West Coast and began recording lo-fi demos with Bruno, whom she met in the Los Angeles music scene.
Victoria Garance Alixe Legrand is a French-American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter and keyboardist of the dream pop duo Beach House.
Bloom is the fourth studio album by American dream pop duo Beach House. It was co-produced by the band and Chris Coady, and was released on May 15, 2012, by Sub Pop, in Europe by Bella Union, in Australia by Mistletone Records, and in Mexico by Arts & Crafts. The album was written over two years of touring and was recorded at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, over seven weeks. Building on their previous album, Teen Dream (2010), the duo continued to add live drums to their song arrangements for Bloom, supplementing their drum machine rhythms.
Depression Cherry is the fifth studio album by the American dream pop duo Beach House. It was co-produced by the group and Chris Coady, and was released on August 28, 2015, by Sub Pop in the US, Bella Union in Europe, Mistletone Records in Australia, Hostess Entertainment in Japan and Arts & Crafts in Mexico. The album was recorded at Studio in the Country in Bogalusa, Louisiana, from November 2014 to January 2015. Reacting to their dissatisfaction with using live drums on tour to play songs from their previous album, Bloom (2012), for Depression Cherry, the band returned to simpler song arrangements, similar to those of its first two studio albums. "Sparks" was released as the lead single on July 1. The album received mostly positive reviews from critics. Less than two months after releasing Depression Cherry, Beach House followed it up with their sixth album, Thank Your Lucky Stars.
Thank Your Lucky Stars is the sixth studio album by American dream pop duo Beach House. It was co-produced by the band and Chris Coady, and was released on October 15, 2015, by Sub Pop in North America, Bella Union in Europe, and Mistletone Records in Australia. The album was released less than two months after their fifth studio album, Depression Cherry.
"Norway" is a song by American dream pop band Beach House, from their third studio album, Teen Dream. The song was released on January 18, 2010, with "Baby" as its B-side. The song was released as a free download on the band's site on November 17, 2009, before its commercial release.
"Myth" is a song by American dream pop band Beach House. The song was released on March 26, 2012, as the lead single for the band's fourth studio album, Bloom. The song surfaced on the band's website on March 7, 2012, before its commercial release.
Alex Kristian Scally is an American multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He is known as the co-writer, guitarist and backing vocalist of the dream pop duo Beach House, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums.
"Zebra" is a song by American dream pop band Beach House from their third studio album, Teen Dream. It was written by lead vocalist and keyboardist Victoria Legrand and guitarist Alex Scally and produced by them along with Chris Coady. The song was released as the third single off the album on April 17, 2010, with an EP of the same name which features a UK radio edit of the song along with new tracks "The Arrangement", "Baby" and a remix of "10 Mile Stereo".
B-Sides and Rarities is a compilation album by American dream pop band Beach House, released on June 30, 2017 through Sub Pop in North America, Bella Union in Europe, and Mistletone Records in Australia. The compilation contains B-sides and rare, unreleased cuts along with two new songs, "Chariot" and "Baseball Diamond". It also includes the band's cover of Queen's "Play the Game".
"Space Song" is a song by American dream pop duo Beach House, released in 2015 as a promotional single from their fifth studio album, Depression Cherry. In 2022, the song was certified gold in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
"PPP" is a song by American dream pop band Beach House, from the band's fifth studio album, Depression Cherry. The song was released as a single, along with "Beyond Love" on August 6, 2015, through Sub Pop.
7 is the seventh studio album by American dream pop band Beach House, released on May 11, 2018, through Sub Pop and Bella Union. It follows the B-Sides and Rarities compilation album released in 2017, which served as a proverbial "cleaning out the closet" to pave the way for a new creative process.
Once Twice Melody is the eighth studio album by the American dream pop duo Beach House, released on February 18, 2022. It is a double album of 18 songs, presented in four chapters.