Beacon Announce ‘Along the Lethe’ LP

Beacon have announced their new album, Along the Lethe. The news is accompanied by a pair of new songs "Can't Turn Back" and "Ostrich"

Beacon have announced their new album, Along the Lethe. The news is accompanied by a pair of new songs. The first of two special collaborations (longtime friend and musical kindred spirit Matthew Dear also features on a song), comes from the legendary Colin Stetson who lent his genius on “Ostrich” a new single out today. Beacon are also announcing their North American fall tour, the duo recently announced their European run

“Ostrich” is an enchanting piano piece that invites multi-instrumentalist Colin Stetson to weave a tapestry of horns and woodwinds into its gentle chords and swells of noise. The centerpiece from Along the Lethe was inspired by a tuning technique used by Lou Reed and John Cale in The Velvet Underground. Their Ostrich tuning requires all strings on an instrument to be tuned to the same note, and with this foundation, Jacob and Thomas improvised on the various synths and instruments in their studio to give the song its hypnotic atmosphere. “Colin delivered his performance a day before Christmas Eve in 2021,” Thomas explains, “and with it being the first demo written for the record in late 2019, ‘Ostrich’ is both the oldest song on the record and the last to be finished.” Stetson tells us “ “What a joy to spin and whirl and call out into the ether with these lovely Beacon folks. Many thanks for having me on.”

“Can’t Turn Back” is an effervescent amalgamation of genres, timbres, and moods. Jacob Gossett’s love for UK garage rhythms melts into twinkling synth arpeggios and atmospheric pads while Thomas Mullarney III sings with conviction and tenderness of losing himself in “the constant dark.” As part of a record written largely during quarantine, a specter of hopelessness and unending struggle looms large, but the more empowering music seems to keep the doom at bay as it tilts toward the sky.

Beacon
Along the Lethe
Tracklist

01 Until Next Time
02 Oranges
03 Pay My Debts
04 I’m The Answer
05 Can’t Turn Back
06 Ostrich (feat. Colin Stetson)
07 Nova
08 Show Me How
09 Harm
10 Mile A Minute (feat. Matthew Dear)