Bloom (Beach House album)

Bloom is the fourth studio album by American dream pop duo Beach House. It was released on May 15, 2012, through Sub Pop in the United States. It was released internationally by Bella Union in Europe, Mistletone Records in Australia, and Arts & Crafts in Mexico. The entire album was arranged and performed by the duo, with Daniel Franz handling live drums and percussion, and lead vocalist Victoria Legrand handling the songwriting on all of the tracks. Alongside the duo, the album was produced by Chris Coady, who works with them for the second time, following his contributions on their third studio album, Teen Dream (2010), which was widely regarded as their breakthrough album.

Bloom was written in over two years of touring and sound checks for Teen Dream, beginning in March 2011, with some songs being written years prior. Beach House recorded the album twice; they first composed demos at their practice space in Baltimore and they later began recording them in 2011 at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, which took a period of nine weeks to accomplish. Relying on a 24-track analog tape to record the tracks and avoiding the usage of the studio's instruments, the duo chose to record in Texas after being captivated in the area while resting at El Paso during a tour. Additional vocals were recorded at Magpie Cage in Baltimore and the album's mixing was handled at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, where it was first rumored that the band had completed the album in January 2012. The album was leaked in February, although it consisted of low-quality versions of the tracks, with the duo reacting in disappointment and stating that they intended to release the album in a specific way.

Musically, Bloom has been described by critics as a dream pop record, seeing the duo leaning away from their initial lo-fi and ambient music style found on their earlier studio albums, continuing to add live drums to their song arrangements and supplementing their drum machine rhythms. Several critics also noted a few shoegaze, indie pop and new wave influences within several tracks on the album, with the duo adding that material within the album has a darker sound than Teen Dream, with personal themes revolving around heartbreak, longing, death and lost love. The album was met with wide appraisal from contemporary music critics upon release, many whom complimented its instrumental arrangements, with some additionally considering it the duo's best album to date. It was named as one of the best albums of 2012 by several publications, including Consequence, Obscure Sound, Pitchfork, PopMatters and Under the Radar.

Initially, Beach House received a deal to distribute Bloom at various Starbucks stores, but they instead rejected the offer after thoughtful consideration. It was mainly supported by its two singles, "Myth" and "Lazuli", the former which was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2023, and received critical acclaim upon their respective releases. It was also supported with a set of music videos, a supporting summer tour and an international fall tour, the latter being marketed as the Frightened Eyes Tour, and Forever Still, a short film featuring live performances of songs from the album, which was released in 2013. The album debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200, selling 41,000 copies in its first week, earning the duo their highest-charting album and first top 10 entry on the chart; it also charted within the top 20 in six other countries.