afraid of bees

Brooklyn quartet Afraid of Bees’ sonically complex and emotional EP, Oosik, brings to consciousness words like, shining, haunted and fierce. The band (Eleanor Bostwick, Maciej Lewandowski, Daniel Siles and Juan Pablo Siles) have a sound worth investing in.

Afraid of Bees’ first track, “Anything but Redemption”, has a rolling reverberation with the cyclical resonance of an experimental math rock tune. Eleanor Bostwick’s emotive yelp, brings a sense of urgency to the initial burst. With vocals not unlike CocoRosie (or perhaps a shoegazey version of Tegan and Sara’s “The Con”)- Bostwick’s, as well as Lewandowski’s, call-and-echo vocal/electronic technique addresses a peculiar sonic palate, while bass, drums and guitar rush in like the tides.

The band’s use of distortion helps color the sound with a sense of emotive longing that manages poignancy without being overwrought. With a plucky harvest on the fretboard, Oosik, overall, is catchy and encouraging in its shimmering dissonance. Guitars on standout track, “Here, Not Just for Now”, siren through the bridge with precision. The impeccable percussion ropes and rallies, while the key lifts halfway into the song, presenting a delicate change in their already-diverse instrumental composition. The end of “Here, Not Just for Now”, is decorated with ethereal vocalizing for the last minute or so of the track.

“When do you find yourself? When do you ask for help?” is a cry that suddenly seems worth heeding. The track lifts, then, into nothing, dissipating with a slow, memorizing fit of spark.

Do not miss Oosik; Afraid of Bees is a force to be reckoned with. - Speak Into My Goodeye