On Friday, Two Door Cinema Club put up a stream of their eagerly awaited second album on Facebook for the ears of everyone who had not previously found their way to the leak which had surfaced at the beginning of August. After the success of their debut effort, this record represents a crucial moment in the band's development - would they push on and evolve their already successful sound or just make Tourist History 2.0?
Of course, the mantra "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" may well apply here, and opening track 'Next Year' is definitely a continuation of the sound that gained Two Door Cinema Club such a large and sprawling fanbase over the last few years, albeit with some pleasing electronic touches. 'Handshake' is Tourist History multiplied by 10, combining a signature bassline with a truly anthemic singalong chorus, a nailed-on future single. Here, though, is where the resemblances end.
The highlights of Beacon are the instances where the boys from Northern Ireland stretch out their limbs and feel for new territory. 'Sun' sees the band slow things down and grooving things up, even daring to throw in a smattering of trumpets. 'Someday', previewed in the album trailer, is an absolute juggernaut. Sure to become a fan favourite, it sounded flawless at the band's Reading set last weekend and can only get better as the band become more acquainted with it in a live setting. Elsewhere on the record, 'Pyramid' is by far the rockiest track on the album with its galloping drums and incessant driving guitars.
If there is a weak link on Beacon then perhaps it is 'Sleep Alone', the first single taken from the album. At first it is hard to pin down why; it has all the ingredients for a classic Two Door Cinema Club track. Perhaps it is the song's positioning within the album; it is unfortunately sandwiched between 'Someday' and 'The World is Watching (with Valentina)', a gorgeous, gentle track layered with strings and electronics. As a result of this, a song that would have seemed strong at any other time comes across as extremely flat.
Thankfully, this disappointment is short-lived. The latter half of the album hammers home the message that this is a more experienced, more mature Two Door that we are witnessing. 'Spring' is a real charmer of a track, carried along by sugar-sweet guitar and Alex Trimble's much more amorous tones. The title track is a magnificent closer, a carefully crafted piece which builds up texture upon texture and culminates in an explosion of expansive melodies. The triumphant tone which results is indicative of the confidence that radiates through the whole of Beacon. Here is a band that are not concerned about the tradition vs. progress argument; Two Door Cinema Club have at once honed their unique and successful formula and added to this formula, like a painter building up a masterpiece stroke by stroke.
9/10
Buy Beacon here
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