Spirit Of The Beehive
You’ll Have To Lose Something
Saddle Creek Records [2024]
Album Overview: Philadelphia’s Spirit of the Beehive have steadily grown their reputation over the last decade. After a few increasingly sophisticated albums in the late 2010s, they released their breakthrough LP Entertainment, Death in 2021, which made the top of my list that year. After that triumph, though, the band nearly imploded, with founding members Zack Schwartz and Rivka Ravede ending their romantic relationship after a decade. Thankfully, they’ve managed to weather the turmoil and come out the other side with a worthy follow-up in You’ll Have To Lose Something.
Musical Style: Spirit of the Beehive’s sound can be difficult to describe because in some ways it’s constantly shifting. Unpredictable song structures and lots of sonic left-turns create an intentionally disorienting and surreal atmosphere, with processed samples floating in and out amongst shimmering guitars and the dreamlike, often detached-sounding vocals of Schwartz and Revede. Beneath it all, though, the band frequently conjures up catchy hooks and moments of undeniable beauty that often decay as quickly as they appear.
Evolution of Sound: On You’ll Have To Lose Something, the band decided to smooth out some of the rougher edges and aim for a more pop-friendly sound, but this is only really noticeable if you’re familiar with their earlier work. The overall aesthetic is very similar to Entertainment, Death, but with a slightly more approachable demeanor.
Artists with Similar Fire: Fans of shoegaze and dream-pop inspired bands, or those that experiment with samples and heavy effects to achieve an off-kilter sound will find plenty to love here. Feeble Little Horse, Ovlov, Pile, and Hotline TNT are some of the closest points of comparison.
Pivotal Tracks: Like Entertainment, Death, You’ll Have To Lose Something often flows like one long song, meaning that experiencing it as a whole is the best approach to listening. However, there are definitely some standout moments, including “Stranger Alive,” “Let The Virgin Drive,” “Found A Body,” and “1/500.”
Lyrical Strength: Spirit of the Beehive’s lyrics, like their music, are tough to pin down, often referring to specific places and situations that the listener isn’t privy to. Themes of isolation, paranoia, and uncertainty permeate most tracks and mesh well with the uncanny, hallucinatory nature of the music.
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE REVIEW HISTORY
Entertainment Death (2021) / Hypnic Jerks (2018) / Pleasure Suck (2017)
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE LINKS
Instagram | Facebook | Bandcamp | Saddle Creek Records
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