The exploratory Philly group SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE have released their first new music of 2023. The double single “tapeworm / natural devotion 2” was shared on August 1st via Saddle Creek, partnered with a thought-provoking and unsettling music video. The pair of tracks will appear on the group’s upcoming EP i’m so lucky, set for release on Sept. 1st.
“tapeworm,” the shorter of the two tracks, contains violent shouting and screeching electric guitars that drive home a sinister riff. There are also jarring breaks in the madness; first there is a pause for heavy breathing during the middle of the raging riffs, and then an abrupt cut to an eerie piano section to end the track. Without a doubt, “tapeworm” is quite a ride.
The following song “natural devotion 2” kicks off with warbling synth keys, proceeding to evolve into a chill, digestible indie pop track. There is a smearing of pitch-shifted or ghastly vocals over sections of the track, giving in a bit of the odd sensibilities of “tapeworm.” This song is a continuation of the popular “Natural Devotion,” from the group’s 2016 EP You Are Arrived (But You’ve Been Cheated). The preceding installment of the story was heavier and more distorted than its sequel, and tells the story of the late Bobby, who left the narrator alone and devastated after passing away.
The sonic contrast of the tracks “tapeworm” and “natural devotion 2” is stark, yet the music video offers a complete vision that brings them together cohesively. Directed by Daniel Patrick Brennan and styled by Philly’s own Clothing To Wear, the “tapeworm” segment has a sequence out of a horror movie, with distressing first-person scenes of a woman being preyed on in an old, dark house. As “natural devotion 2” begins, a somber old man with a Crimson-esque chin is seen watching videos of the woman from earlier. Could this woman possibly be Bobby from “Natural Devotion?”
Following the release of SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE’s four-track EP on Sept. 1st, the band will partake in an eight-stop US tour that will arrive at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia on Sept. 8th. A 2000-unit run of i’m so lucky vinyl copies will be sold through Saddle Creek’s website, likely to be available on tour as well. The double single “tapeworm / natural devotion 2” is out now on all streaming services, and SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE’s new EP can be pre-ordered and pre-saved here. More information on the Johnny Brenda’s show can be found at WXPN’s Concerts and Events page.