On their first three albums, Beacon presented unique and beautiful songs that merged Thomas Mullarney III’s soft vocals and gorgeous piano playing with his and Jacob Gossett’s synths and production. The result has always been music that merges classical techniques, electronica, and a touch of futuristic chamber pop sensibilities. Songs like 2018’s defining “Marion” tug at the heartstrings with a rhythmic dark, dance floor pulse.
The duo have just announced their fourth album, Along The Lethe, out on September 9th. It’s the first release on their own Apparent Movement imprint, after releasing their previous records through the Ghostly International label. “Lethe” refers to one of the five rivers of the underworld in Greek mythology, where the dead’s memories of their waking lives were erased when they drank from it. It speaks to the creation of the new album happening mostly during quarantine and how deeply affected the duo were by the circumstances. “I was haunted by this feeling of history intruding on our reality as lockdown descended on NYC,” Mullarney III said in a statement.
Today, Beacon have released two new singles in “Can’t Turn Back,” and “Ostrich,” the latter features saxophonist Colin Stetson, a noted, frequent Arcade Fire collaborator. While the two songs are disparate in nature, it showcases the different poles that Beacon turn to when making music. “Ostrich” is inspired by a tuning technique used by The Velvet Underground, where all of the instruments — from Mullarney III’s piano to Stetson’s horns and woodwinds — are tuned to the same note. Beacon then swirl everything into sonic oblivion with synths. Meanwhile, “Can’t Turn Back” feels like a page out of classic Beacon cuts. With nods to UK garage and downtempo drum and bass, it’s the type of tune you vibe to in a club, and also come down to at the afterparty.
Listen to “Can’t Turn Back” and “Ostrich” above. Check out the album artwork and tracklist for Along The Lethe below as well as Beacon’s upcoming North America and UK tour dates.
1. “Until Next Time”
2. “Oranges”
3. “Pay My Debts”
4. “I’m The Answer”
5. “Can’t Turn Back”
6. “Ostrich” (feat. Colin Stetson)
7. “Nova”
8. “Show Me How”
9. “Harm”
10. “Mile A Minute” (feat. Matthew Dear)
09/10 — Brooklyn, NY @ Public Records
09/13 — Boston, MA @ Middle East
09/14 — Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5
09/25 — Chicago, IL @ Schubas
10/06 — Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz
10/15 — Portland, OR @ Holocene
10/23 — Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
11/15 — Haarlem, Netherlands @ Patronaat
11/17 — Budapest, Hungary @ Turbina
11/18 — Glasgow, UK @ The Hug & Pint
11/19 — Manchester, UK @ YES
11/20 — London, UK, @ Nells
Along The Lethe is out on 09/09 via Apparent Movement. Pre-order it here.