Earthbeat

For their second album, Pesaro, Italy’s Be Forest expanded into a quartet. They've added Lorenzo Badioli, who throws a heap of electronic parts onto their sound and helps firmly establish them as a dreampop group of great consequence. Brothers in Law guitarist Nicola Lampredi still provides the Cure-like shimmer at the top of their range, with Erica Terenzi and Costanza Delle Rose throwing 4AD Records–style/heavily reverbed vocals into the heady mix while still providing aggressive beats and bass lines, respectively. “Colours” and “Captured Heart” are the melodic standouts, but “Sparkle,” “Lost Boy," and “Ghost Dance” further gift fans with dark, ominous soundwaves that have their roots in the early days of Joy Division and other postpunk groups. There isn’t a poor track here. And the emergence of this solid group from out of the loop signifies great things, showing that genres are often no longer tied to specific years or cultures.