New York’s Indie Act HOAX Return With Reflective Sequel ‘Beach House ii’

When New York’s indie pop/rock duo HOAX spoke to us in 2019, they were prepping their second record b? It was following the success of songs like “Beach House” in 2016 and frontman Michael Raj and Frantz Cesar mentioned they had worked on “Beach House ii,” which has now released as the seventh track off of b?

Raj mentioned in 2019 that the idea behind the sequel stemmed from feeling that “Beach House” had “this sense of unfinished business.” He added, “You can listen to those songs back-to-back (when it comes out) and hopefully get a better picture of the universe that the song lives in.” On its own, “Beach House ii” digs into HOAX’s wavy songwriting but also threatens with intentionally dissonant rhythmic breaks. That’s where it starkly differs from its predecessor, juxtaposing calm and dread in its lyricism.

Raj says in a statement that the song was a “reckoning” with oneself after a year of introspection in lockdown. He adds, “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 still offers that it’s important to “hold on to the people and the things that you hold dear.” He adds, “Otherwise, you’ll end up a 20-something year old dripping with regret, writing a song like this.”

Listen to “Beach House ii” below and on more platforms here.