Next Year:
The Northern Irish trio are well and truly back with a rollercoaster of Alex’s calming vocals to punchy synth. As the song births from trippy static it mellows out before breaking into a subtle chorus. As you begin to think they sound more laid back with their choir like vocals cutting through, you are thrown into a catchy as ever chorus before descending into handshake...
Out of 10: 7/10
Handshake:
As a crescendo of repetitive synth and underlying electro bass builds up, you find yourself dancing to the sound of the seemingly familiar thrilling high guitar melodies. Upbeat and sharp are words that come to mind during the almost anthem like chorus before you are whisked away to the trumpet oozing breakdown. You’ll be hoarsely yelling these in next summer’s festival haze.
Out of 10: 7/10
Wake Up:
Contrasting call and responses from Sam’s distinctive riff and the whole band at full throttle make for an interesting listen, the same trademarked guitar melodies are still shown but in a more progressive fashion. Although a rather simplistic track; a great one nevertheless.
Out of 10: 7/10
Sun:
A mesmerising ruff guitar tune outlines the track with more and more brass introduced as the track gains momentum to a delicate finish. Alex certainly shows a more emotional lyrical touch as he hinted the album would have.
Out of 10: 7/10
Someday:
The track hits you straight away with no gradually introduction of instruments. They hit the ground running and don’t stop; this is fully fledged indie rock anthem. Explosive strumming and constant shifts in atmosphere creates a rather intricate song with drums fading in and out with constant vocals. Only two door cinema club can create a tune less than four minutes long and still be as heart pumping.
Out of 10: 8/10
Sleep Alone:
A dreamy state is formed in the opening to their first single from beacon and is quickly transformed into upbeat choruses. Fascinatingly the bass line is played on the synth and creates a dance like vibe. It finishes dramatically with a roar, which is incredible live with blinding strobe and crashing drums. This may even become a set finisher over ‘I can talk’ and will certainly be drunkenly sung by many of you soon enough.
Out of 10: 8/10
The World Is Watching (With Valentina):
Classically building up instruments to the choir like chorus, seems rather subdued after tracks like someday. But this is certainly a differentiating song with a fresh relaxing feel. The enticing overlay harmonies of Valentina really are superb.
Out of 10: 6/10
Settle:
An ambiguous beginning to the song with the chiming of bells captivates you into a rather complex song. Contrasting to this is the chorus as the drums build up the tension to a furious encore of brass, smashing crash cymbals and thunderous chords. Personally I think this is one of the best songs on the album and sounds incredible on the second disk of the album (Live in Brixton).
Out of 10: 8/10
Spring:
Spring feels more simplistic than most tracks on the album and doesn’t quite feel as flamboyant as I would like. The awkward electronic indie sound that they are known for isn’t as prominent. Having said that Alex’s distinguished lyrics guide you through the gentle plucking to a build up at the end, I wish it had just carried on for a little while longer.
Out of 10: 6/10
Pyramid:
A ‘James Blake like’ introduction to the song is built with reverb, a ‘Steve Reich esque’ guitar riff and quirky samples of Alex’s voice. The song reminds me of mixture of ‘Foals’ and two door themselves as it builds up it shifts to the familiar sound of Alex leading the melody accompanied by scratchy guitar.
Out of 10: 7/10
Beacon:
As the name of the album it has a lot to live up to. I feel this track summarises the direction they are taking as a trio. It certainly is a lot less in your face but still provides rattling synth and an underlying guitar licks from Sam.
Out of 10: 7/10
Overall I feel this is a fantastic addition to tourist history and it grows on me each time I listen to it. Nothing is overworked and every track is a great listen, they have definitely progressed in song writing as a band. I would recommend seeing them live especially at festivals and after this album you can guarantee they’ll be back “for next year”. Consider it a worthy listen, a damn good one at that too.
Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon
Out of 10: 7/10
Written by - Thomas Bray
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