Once the summer revellers have packed up and left, taking with them their shouts and screams, the beach in autumn becomes an altogether different environment. Its beauty is more dignified, the air more solitary, and some may argue that it’s a more pleasant place to unwind than in the bronzing fever of summer.

Baltimore's boy/girl duo B Singer/organist Victoria Legrand and guitarist Alex Scally have produced an album full of seaside waltzes and ghostly rhyme, coated with a lo-fi fuzz. The landscape they portray is similar to that of the more ethereal moments of coastal dweller Patrick Wolf during Wind in the Wires, but there is no hum or buzz of electric current here. This is quieter, more subtle work in keeping with the coastal world of Colette. This is a place of heartbreak, loneliness and ghosts of summer’s past.

Connections will be made with Mazzy Star, Spiritualized and Slowdive, but Beach House have concocted a sound that effortlessly captures a season and setting, their simple instrumentation and arrangements wholly responsible for the album’s atmospheric draw. Drum machines saunter, Casios bounce, organs moan, and Scally's accompaniment of slide and picked guitar is used sparingly and with effective restraint. Mistakes are worn proudly by both, with notes fumbled and cues sometimes missed, the imperfections adding to its lo-fi aesthetic.

Often drawing comparisons with Nico, Legrand’s vocals are vital in creating this aesthetic. Her calm tone heavily reverberated, as she displays her vocal range; dipping and rising.  Each line drifts effortlessly into the next and is never hampered by overbearing harmonies; her voice sounds almost nonchalant.

Beach House like to use multi-layered keyboard and organ tracks to create their hypnotic atmosphere, and are successful in doing so. On opener 'Saltwater', chords are held and Legrand’s right hand plays simple melodies using only a few notes. On top of this they add deeper organ tones and her vocals drifts in unobtrusively. Scally's guitar is picked almost inaudibly, used with strict moderation to add to the growing ambience.

They stick to these sounds and the formula over the next few tracks. A change in guitars is noticeable though, as the melancholy slide is introduced that sounds almost Hawaiian; adding yet another melody to these songs. All the small parts combine without cluttering because of their simplicity; nothing is too extravagant and ideas aren't rushed. Songs start small and become textured at their own pace with reverb on everything keeping it sounding distant but warm.

It isn't until you reach the waltzing harpsichord and woozy slide guitar of 'Auburn and Ivory' where Beach House really show what they are capable of. Legrand’s vocals traverse her upper range beautifully while the harpsichord is joined with sounds from the organ, ascending and descending together. The same praise can be offered to 'House on the Hill'. Junkyard clangs and a Spanish guitar open, before bellowing organs and Legrand’s strongest vocal performance come rushing through. Here the strength of their musicianship is finally shown, the change to more experimental compositions and unsettling vocal delivery a much appreciated movement. Beach House finally show more audacity without losing their ambience.

But herein lies the problem with the album. Beach House are more often than not too timid and tame with their ideas about how this record should sound. While the album has its charms – I'm certainly impressed with what their simple instrumentation and four-track style arrangements – relying so heavily on sparsity makes any album sound dangerously repetitious. The sound of the slide guitar never changes, the keyboard seems to only use harpsichord and electric piano tones, and reverb is overused. Beach House could have delved deeper into the landscape they spent so much time creating, essentially deviating from the beaten track and pursuing ideas to a fuller extent.

Thinking of similar artists closer to home, Pikelet is the perfect example of how creating a fragile, haunting atmosphere doesn't have to rely solely on reverb and how a handful of instruments can be used to produce a variety of sounds. Beach House proved that they could use limited instrumentation to provide an exciting and refreshing change, but unfortunately two songs out of nine isn't enough to engage a listener for more than a couple of listens. It seems Beach House have found a sound that they are happy with, but having stuck to it much too closely they have somewhat limited their undoubted talent.