A downtempo electronic duo that, like
Telefon Tel Aviv and
Junior Boys before them, creatively incorporate elements of contemporary R&B,
Beacon consist of Jacob Gossett and Thomas Mullarney III. The two met at Brooklyn's Pratt Institute and, in April 2011, they released a pair of single tracks as free downloads on their Bandcamp page. They made their official debut that November with No Body, a hushed but deeply rhythmic four-track EP released through the Moodgadget label. Throughout the following year, the duo toured the U.S., opening for the likes of
Gold Panda,
Tycho, and
Oneohtrix Point Never. That October, they linked with Ghostly International, who released the five-track For Now EP.
Beacon's hushed first album, The Ways We Separate, was released in April 2013. Another EP, released in December 2014, featured some relatively active moments that presaged the faster tempos and more physical sounds heard on second album
Escapements, issued in February 2016. ~ Andy Kellman