Spirit of the Beehive | photo by Emily Burtner | courtesy of the artist
Listen to the title track from the upcoming Spirit of the Beehive album
Listening to a new Spirit of the Beehive song is a lot like putting a puzzle together. Every few bars the band can veer into a new style, redefining your expectations of their artistry.
Their latest single, “hypnic jerks”, the title track of their upcoming LP, seems miles from the sludgy shoegaze of their 2014 debut. It’s stiff and upbeat, shifting between time signatures and musical textures with perfect ease. The detached vocals recall the disaffected post-punk of Parquet Courts, while the offbeat instrumental passages sound inspired by 70’s prog.
It’s somehow both the most direct and most oblique the band has sounded to date. It’ll likely take a few listens for anybody to sing along to the abstract melodies (or even headbang on the right beats), but once the puzzle is assembled, it reveals a thrillingly rewarding piece of art rock. Take a listen below. The band plays Philadelphia on October 18th, alongside Pile at the First Unitarian Church; more information can be found here.
Hypnic Jerks will be available 9/14 via Tiny Engines. Spirit of the Beehive have an upcoming show opening for Palm at First Unitarian Church on 10/18. Tickets and info are available here.