The album art for Two Door Cinema Club's Beacon

Two Door Cinema Club

Beacon

Two Door Cinema Club’s newest record is their best yet. Even with a renewed sense of pop presence, the band has unique charms all their own.

There aren’t enough fans of Two Door Cinema Club out there, and that makes me sad. Beacon is a tour-de-force record with real pop presence. The band learned a lot of lessons from their last record, and Beacon is obviously a record filled with nothing less than pure growth. It’s the very definition of un-missable.

On first blush, you might confuse Two Door Cinema Club with indie pop bands like Phoenix. I’m not sure I like the comparison. While these bands all certainly share some influence, Two Door Cinema Club is uniquely groovy, with a certain “je ne sais quoi” that the other bands don’t have. At times, Two Door Cinema Club doesn’t have the same pure pop thrills of Phoenix — or even some of their contemporaries. But what they do have is a certain charm that the others can’t lay claim to.

Sun is one of those catchy tunes that grabs you and doesn’t let go the moment it starts. And despite their shiny pop exterior, songs like Next Year and Sleep Alone are actually pretty sad reflections on being away from home for too long.

I liked Two Door Cinema Club’s last record, Tourist History, but Beacon reveals stunning musical growth and maturity. (Also, they combine influences like Dexter and The Big Lebowski in the video for Handshake, the newest single from the album. The song isn’t my favourite, but the video is just bizarre enough to earn its own special mention.)