š§āāļø
Seven years ago The Ophelias made Always, the prettiest indie album ever.
This new album, produced by Julien Baker, isnāt so pretty. The instruments are turned up and chaotic. Spencer Peppetās vocals can be difficult to find in that loud mix when first listening, but theyāre there and theyāre urgent. Her lyrics are like poems with choruses. They arenāt always the most rhythmic or musical, like itās more important to get her thoughts out than to craft a perfect verse.
Theyāve tagged this album as āmermaid rockā and ānature punkā and I think youāll see that those are fitting descriptions!
Cumulonimbus is a good song to start with. Salome is a banger!
Apr 8, 2025
Related Recs
Soft melodies with a goth beat. A lot of sounds that tickle the brain, very moody and makes you feel like you are looking over a cliff at a stormy sea.
vocals by ZoĆØ Zanias and very similar vibe to Zanias 2016 EP āTo the Coreā. Zanias always has very potent and witchy lyrics :)
Jan 10, 2025
Spirit of the Beehive have such a long trail of essentially perfect albums behind them that their ability to reinvent and outdo themselves with each consecutive release truly blows my mind.Ā Youāll Have To Lose SomethingĀ is probably their most narratively cohesive record āĀ it loosely follows the romantic split between band members Rivka Ravede and Zach Schwartz ā but rather than a retelling of events the album is a meditation on the deep discomfort of uncertainty, the (often unfulfilled) need for interpersonal understanding, and a fear of letting go. Wish I couldnāt relate!Ā
Spiritās work has always felt defined by a tightrope act between moments of abject horror and moments of transcendent beauty, often occurring in such rapid succession that you canāt distinguish one from the other.Ā Youāll Have To Lose SomethingĀ contains both the bandās most genuinely terrifying moments (if you turn your headphones up around the halfway point of āLet The Virgin Driveā you canĀ barelyĀ hear someoneās guttural scream for help) as well as their most timelessly beautiful numbers.
Spirit of the Beehive remains one of the most fascinating and innovative acts using the traditional āguitar bandā setup ā their harmony is endless and complex while anchored by a deep understanding of pop structure, their time signatures refuse to stay still for too long, and the production is among the most dynamic and maximalist laid to record this year. Theyāre a once-a-generation talent with an uncanny ability to mine the darkest undercurrents of the human psyche and craft something fresh, something beautiful, and something surprisingly, disarmingly hopeful out of it. To many more!
Dec 30, 2024
Similar whimsical thing going on. incredibly talented vocalist and they employ oboes and a kind of folksy baroque sound with really stunning compositions however I still find them kind of similar to the Sundays' whole thing. Most of this record is fantastic but specifically Epitaph Ivy and Woe is very special.
Oct 16, 2024
Top Recs from @bee1000
The occupation persists, the oppression persists, the torture persists.
The occupiers are psychotic and their work is never finished.
People who āve paid attention wonāt be surprised by this photo from Gaza.
Jan 22, 2025
šØ
Give people like jilly a break!
I actually practice what I preach on this one š
Jan 25, 2025
Feb 10, 2025