Wild (Beach House song)

"Wild"
Promotional single by Beach House
from the album Bloom
ReleasedOctober 29, 2012 (2012-10-29)
Recorded2011
StudioSonic Ranch (Tornillo, Texas)
Genre
Length
  • 4:58 (album version)
  • 3:55 (radio edit)
Label
SongwriterVictoria Legrand
Producers
Music video
"Wild" on YouTube

"Wild" is a song by American dream pop band Beach House from their fourth studio album Bloom (2012). It was released as a promotional single on October 29, 2012, through Bella Union. "Wild" is the oldest song written for the album, being done by lead vocalist and songwriter Victoria Legrand while they were mixing their previous album Teen Dream (2010).

"Wild" received positive reviews from critics. The song peaked at number 52 on the Ultratip Bubbling Under chart for Belgium's Flanders region and was regularly performed while touring throughout 2012, with an additional live performance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in July 2012. An accompanying music video was released on November 14, 2012, which was directed by Johan Renck and features a compiled series of "intense moments".

Background and composition

In 2009, Beach House began working on their third studio album, Teen Dream, when they eventually signed a label contract with Sub Pop, departing from Carpark Records, where they released their first two studio albums.[1][2] Aside from the entire album being leaked on the internet that same year,[3] it was released officially on January 26, 2010, through Sub Pop, garnering universal acclaim among several contemporary music critics.[4][5] On March 8, 2012, a day after releasing the single "Myth" on their website,[6] the duo officially announced their fourth studio album, Bloom, with "Wild" appearing as the second track.[7][8]

According to guitarist Alex Scally, "Wild" was the earliest song written for Bloom and stated that it was written during the mixing process for Teen Dream.[9] Like the rest of the tracks on the album, "Wild", was recorded within a nine-week period in 2011 at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas.[10] A mid-tempo track reminiscent of new wave music,[11][12] "Wild" runs at a length of four minutes and 58 seconds.[13] It is also centered around a triple metre tambourine "boom-tish" drum beat,[14] "epic shoegazing" guitars[15] and a "buzzing" synth.[16] The track relies on a substantial amount of reverb,[17] with Legrand ending the choruses in the track with "Go on pretending".[18]

Release, reception and live performances

"Wild" was released as the second track from Beach House's fourth studio album Bloom on May 15, 2012.[19] It was later released as a promotional single on October 29, 2012, by Bella Union.[20][21] On the issue dated November 3, 2012, the song appeared at number 52, as a Tip, on the Ultratip Bubbling Under chart for Belgium's Flanders region.[20] On November 14, 2012, the band released the accompanying music video for "Wild", which was directed by Johan Renck.[22] Described as "a series of intense, violent, sexual, and sad moments",[23] the video is set in a "dank, realistic" setting and features an isolative narrative.[24][25] In their review on Bloom, Lindsay Zoladz from Pitchfork named "Wild" as one of their best tracks to date, additionally calling it a "brazen [and] epic" composition.[26] Josh Becker of Beats Per Minute felt that the song was "a little more analog than [they are] used to" from the band's catalog, drawing comparisons to the musical style of bands such as M83 and Peaking Lights.[15] Stu Lewis from The Skinny said that the track is "successful in pushing for a bigger sound while standing up to its knees in reverb".[17]

"Wild" was included in the setlist for their live set at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City on May 15, 2012, the same day Bloom was released, where Daniel Franz performed the live drums throughout.[27] On June 2, 2012, Beach House performed the song at Primavera Sound 2012, with their overall set consisting of windmills and a star-lit background.[28][29] On July 24, 2012, they performed the song, along with "Wishes", on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.[30] On February 4, 2013, the duo released Forever Still, a short film containing performances of four songs from the album, including "Wild", throughout El Paso and Tornillo, Texas.[31][32]

Track listing

  1. "Wild" (radio edit) – 3:55

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes of Bloom.[13]

Beach House

Additional musicians

  • Daniel Franz – live drums and percussion

Production

  • Chris Coady – production, engineering, mixing
  • Beach House – production
  • Manuel Calderon – assistant engineering
  • Brooks Harlan – engineering
  • Phil Joly – assistant engineering
  • Joe LaPorta – mastering

Charts

Chart performance for "Wild"
Chart (2012) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[20] 52

References

  1. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (April 20, 2012). "Beach House: The Story Behind 'Bloom' and Indie's Most Reliable Duo". Billboard. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  2. ^ Hogan, Marc (March 7, 2012). "Teen Dreamy: In Praise of Beach House's Sublime 'Myth'". Spin. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  3. ^ "Premature Evaluation: Beach House – Teen Dream". Stereogum. November 20, 2009. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  4. ^ Durham Wilson, Sarah (May 3, 2012). "Beach House". Interview. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  5. ^ Colombi, François (March 16, 2012). "Myth : le nouveau single de Beach House" [Myth: Beach House's new single]. Toute La Culture (in French).
  6. ^ Fitzmaurice, Larry (7 March 2012). "Listen: Beach House: "Myth"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  7. ^ Battan, Carrie (February 24, 2012). "Beach House Announce New Album?". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  8. ^ Hudson, Alex (March 8, 2012). "Beach House Return with New 'Bloom' LP". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on April 29, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  9. ^ Alonso, Sebas E. (May 8, 2012). "Beach House: 'No queremos ser muy grandes'" [Beach House: 'We don't want to be too popular']. Jenesaispop (in Spanish). Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  10. ^ Colletti, Justin (May 17, 2012). "Behind The Release: Beach House Bloom". SonicScoop. Archived from the original on May 23, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  11. ^ Powell, Mike (May 9, 2012). "Beach House, 'Bloom' (Sub Pop)". Spin. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  12. ^ Houle, Zachary (May 14, 2012). "Beach House: Bloom". PopMatters. Archived from the original on June 24, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  13. ^ a b Beach House (2012). Bloom (CD liner notes). Sub Pop. SP 965.
  14. ^ Empire, Kitty (May 12, 2012). "Beach House: Bloom – review". The Observer. Archived from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2026 – via The Guardian.
  15. ^ a b Becker, Josh (May 17, 2012). "Album Review: Beach House – Bloom". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  16. ^ Terich, Jeff (March 13, 2012). "Beach House : Bloom". Treble. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  17. ^ a b Lewis, Stu (May 1, 2012). "Beach House – Bloom - Album review". The Skinny. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  18. ^ Brown, Harley (May 15, 2012). "Beach House – Bloom". Consequence. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  19. ^ "Beach House Returns With Bloom on May 15". Glide Magazine. March 8, 2012. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  20. ^ a b c "Beach House – Wild" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  21. ^ a b Beach House (2012). Wild (CD liner notes). Bella Union. BELLACD368P.
  22. ^ Cooper, Leonie (November 14, 2012). "Beach House unveil unsettling video for 'Wild' - watch". NME. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
  23. ^ Minsker, Evan (November 14, 2012). "Watch: Beach House's Intense, Dramatic 'Wild' Video". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  24. ^ Hilleary, Mike (November 14, 2012). "Watch: Beach House – 'Wild' Video". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on September 1, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  25. ^ Breihan, Tom (November 14, 2012). "Beach House – 'Wild' Video". Stereogum. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  26. ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (May 14, 2012). "Beach House: Bloom". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  27. ^ Pelly, Jenn (May 16, 2012). "Report: Beach House Live in New York". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on December 19, 2025. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  28. ^ "The Cure, The xx, Beach House play Primavera Sound festival 2012". NME. June 3, 2012. Archived from the original on October 28, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  29. ^ Pelly, Jenn (June 3, 2012). "Primavera Saturday: Beach House, Shellac". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on December 19, 2025. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  30. ^ Hughes, Josiah (July 24, 2012). "Beach House – 'Wild' / 'Wishes' (live on 'Fallon')". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on December 19, 2025. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  31. ^ Minsker, Evan (February 4, 2013). "Watch the Beach House Short Film 'Forever Still'". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
  32. ^ Breihan, Tom (February 4, 2013). "Watch Beach House Forever Still Short Film". Stereogum. Archived from the original on July 18, 2025. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
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