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. The duo began recording the album after going on tour in support of their second studio album Devotion (2008), with sessions taking place at Dreamland Studios in Hurley, New York and DNA in New York City.
A dream pop and shoegaze album, Teen Dream was supported by three singles; "Used to Be", "Norway" and "Zebra". It is also their first album to be released under the Sub Pop record label, following their departure from Carpark Records in 2009. The album was met with critical acclaim from music critics, who praised the duo's change in sound and the album's instrumentals. It was also named as one of the best albums of 2010 by several publications. It debuted at number 43 on the US Billboard 200 with 13,000 copies sold within its first week of release, eventually selling a total of 140,000 copies as of May 2012.
Background and recording
Beach House began recording Teen Dream after extensive touring of the Beach House's second studio album, Devotion (2008). Lead vocalist Victoria Legrand stated that while on tour "[they] definitely stored up a lot of energy and ideas that we had. By the end of the touring cycle we couldn't wait to get back home to start working on the next record. In some ways, touring is a restraint on the creative side, because it's hard to write on the road. So you just have to wait, and sit on this anticipation until the time you're able to spend days, weeks, months working on something."[1] Most of the album's recording took place at Dreamland Studios in Hurley, New York, with most of the production being done by Chris Coady.[2]
Teen Dream has been described by publications as a dream pop[3] and shoegaze album.[4] According to Paul Lester of The Guardian, the album uses "simple elements – spectral piano, shimmery organ, steady percussion, pedal steel, and languorous female vocals".[5] The duo strove to create a more "sophisticated" album and, according to the group, the demos of this record were comparable to the final tracks that made up their previous record. Also, their use of extensive reverb was held back significantly. According to Alex Scally "There's very little reverb on the record". Scally had also stated that the album was considerably more expensive, stating that, "Every bit of money we got, we spent. The recording was insanely expensive. Every single step of the way, we've just tried to go more, go further".[6]
Promotion and release
"Used to Be" was released as the lead single from Teen Dream on October 21, 2008.[7] "Norway" was released on the band's website as a free download on November 17, 2009, as the second single from the album. A 7-inch single of it, which includes "Baby" as its B-side, was also released.[8][9] The full album was leaked onto the Internet a few days after the release of "Norway".[10] A four-track EP for "Zebra", the album's third single, was released on April 17, 2010, as a Record Store Day exclusive.[11]Teen Dream released on January 26, 2010, through Sub Pop. It was released internationally, through Bella Union in Europe, Mistletone Records in Australia, and Arts & Crafts in Mexico. The album was also released as a CD with an accompanying DVD featuring visualizers for each of the album's tracks.[12]
The album debuted 43 on the Billboard 200 with 13,000 copies sold in its first week. It has sold a total of 140,000 copies as of May 2012.[13] As of April 2012 Teen Dream has sold 21,000 vinyl copies in United States according to Nielsen Soundscan.[14] The song "Take Care" was used for the soundtrack of the 2020 film Chemical Hearts, in the film and during the end credits.[15] The song "Silver Soul" was sampled in Kendrick Lamar's song Money Trees from his 2012 album Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City.[16]
Teen Dream received critical acclaim. Review aggregator Metacritic, which collates reviews from various publications, indicates a score of 82 out of 100 from 35 professional critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[18] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.8 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[17]
Many reviews commented on the change in sound including BBC Music, who stated that "the most unmistakeable sound on Teen Dream is that of a band truly finding its own voice".[28] Several publications focused on Victoria Legrand's vocals, with Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone complimenting Legrand's "dusky torch singing"[26] and The Boston Phoenix praising her voice as "coiling like smoke in the arches of the church".[29]Robert Christgau, writing in MSN Music, selected "Lover of Mine" and "Norway" as highlights and awarded the album an honorable mention rating.[30] In a negative review, Tom Hughes of The Guardian felt that Teen Dream is "carefully, even beautifully arranged", but nonetheless "oddly icy and melodically a little ineffectual".[22] Audra Schroeder of The Austin Chronicle called the album "solid" but felt that it was "not Beach House's masterpiece," quipping that the duo "still got some gold dust to kick up".[31]
Accolades
Teen Dream was hailed as one of the best albums of 2010. NME included it in their 2013 edition of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[32] The album was also included in the 2014 edition of the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[33] In October 2019, Pitchfork ranked it in the 21st position among the best albums of the 2010s.[34]
A special edition DVD package was released containing either a CD or vinyl and a DVD, featuring psychedelic visuals for each track from Teen Dream, produced by a separate director.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Teen Dream.[62]
Beach House
Victoria Legrand – vocals, keyboards, organs, bells "from outer space"
Alex Scally – guitar, basses, organs, piano, harmony vocals, four-track
Additional musicians
Dan Franz – drums (tracks 1–7, 10), percussion (tracks 1, 2, 7)
Graham Hill – drums (tracks 8, 9), percussion (tracks 3–6, 8, 9)
