I thought I was listening to an unreleased track off of My Bloody Valentine‘s forever delayed MBV when I initially listened to Beach House’s first new track in several years (Listen to My Bloody Valentine’s “Is This And Yes” and see if you agree). It surfaced online the other day after premiering on a foreign radio rip, so, contextually, I was already a bit disoriented before hearing Victoria LeGrand’s repetitive, highly reverbed intro the precedes a dense tangle of discordant synths and Alex Scally’s heavily distorted guitar. This was new territory for Beach House. And after a solid 15 seconds of lightheaded confusion, I was all in, fully committed, totally f–king stoked.

Among music critics/bloggers/listeners/dudes, it’s tradition to note the gradual aesthetic progressions of Beach House’s tone and musicianship from release to release. Everyone generally loses their shit, as is warranted because the duo is f—ing talented, but “Sparks” is different, special even. Never have they willed and contained chaos before. This track is especially exciting for how masterfully they make the whims and errant sonics of shoegaze conform to their polished, if dreamy, sound. If this is indicative of what’s to come form their forthcoming album, than I already know this will be their best album, or at the very least, my personal favorite.