7/10
Over their last six studio albums, Beach House have given us some of the dreamiest pop music we could have hoped for. But after such a solid career, the band have decided to share a collection of unheard offcuts from their back catalogue. Including a mix of unreleased singles, live recordings, remixes and covers, 'B-Sides & Rarities' proves to be more than just a compilation and more of a snapshot of brilliant songs the band felt just weren't quite right for their full-length releases at the time.
While this collection has mostly aimed itself at the hardcore fans of Beach House, there is actually plenty of enjoyable moments on here for those less familiar with their work. With a loveable rerecording of their 2008 single 'Used To Be' as well as an emotional rendition of Queen's 'Play The Game', the band have actually managed to deliver an extremely succinct release given that these songs have been written over the course of their 11-year career, giving the listener a insight into their own writing process.
Although it lacks the knowledge of actually being a new album from the band, that isn't how it comes across when you switch it on. It shows that Beach House put just as much love and care into their less fortunate material as their hit singles, with 'B-Sides & Rarities' becoming a must-own for any fan of the pair.