New York-based indie duo HOAX returns with their long awaited 2021 single, “Beach House ii.” It’s a spiritual successor to their stunning 2016 debut single “Beach House,” a dreamy, ethereal composition. “Beach House ii” serves as the band’s seventh single off their highly anticipated debut LP b?, which is a concept album that follows the narratives of characters that are thrown together in the aftermath of tragedy and explores the clash between being versus doing within this larger, complex chronicle.
“Beach House ii” features the fervent vocals of Michael Raj and guitarist Frantz Cesar’s subtly crafted indie-meets-R&B accents that places listeners in a reposeful paradise. The band has always had a certain refined elegance to them from their aesthetics to their pristine production. Self-described as “empathy pop,” HOAX infuses the beautiful elements of 60’s pop, 70’s Motown, and modern day alt-R&B. However, they’ve always taken their broad range of influences and developed honest, authentic, and universally themed songs. Soulful and enthralling “Beach House ii” is no different. It’s especially a relatable effort in today’s landscape as it leans on a narrative occupied by uncertainty and regret through a quiet yet discernible display of introspection.
“This past year for me – and I would only imagine for most of us – has been a year of introspection,” shares frontman Michael Raj over email. “Being stuck inside – even if you tried to ignore it in the beginning – probably led to every one of us having a reckoning with ourselves. To me, ‘Beach House ii’ is the aftermath of one of those reckonings. The older we get, the more critical we think of our past decisions and actions. So much so that some of us can live the rest of our lives consumed in regret. This song is my reminder to not keep any of those regrets, and to realize that your short term priorities will not be the moments you think about in the future, so don’t put them before or above the important things.”
He continues, “If there is anything this past year of magical thinking has taught me, it’s that ‘Life changes fast; life changes in the instant’ (Joan Didion), but it’s important to hold on to the people and the things that you hold dear. Otherwise, you’ll end up a 20-something year old dripping with regret, writing a song like this.”
HOAX, which formed in 2016 during college at Hofstra University, is the creative union between Michael Raj and Frantz N. Cesar. “Beach House ii” follows last year’s singles “Western Medicine” and “more than you know” in a series of singles leading up to the band’s debut album, b? out later this year.
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