Philadelphia's
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE embrace contradiction and confusion, producing experimental pop songs filled with unpredictable changes and contrasts. Debuting with a shoegazey self-titled effort in 2014, the band has constantly shifted lineups as well as styles, ending up at a dreamy yet twitchy mélange of neo-psychedelia, post-punk, and catchy indie rock on 2018's Hypnic Jerks. By 2021, the group's lineup was down to just three members: co-leaders Zack Schwartz and Rivka Ravede, and Corey Wichlin, who joined in 2019. Fourth full-length
ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH was written remotely, digitally self-recorded and mixed, then mastered to tape. Following Schwartz's solo work as draag me, which dabbles in everything from trap to industrial metal,
ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH is the band's most electronic album to date, recalling the grainy yet shining textures of vaporwave as well as the acid-saturated grittiness of
Tobacco, and throwing some jarring glitches in the mix on top of that, yet the band clearly still makes music within an indie rock context. Insisting on using all caps this time around, there's a bit more of a pop immediacy to this album than their prior work, though they take every opportunity to subvert conventions and expectations. Named after one of the samples of vintage commercials which pop up throughout the album, "THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN'T DO" initially appears to be off-kilter electro-pop, with Ravede's ethereal vocals floating over a steadily galloping drum machine, until it descends into a grunge nightmare, with Schwartz screaming "I'M YOUR FRIEND!" over swirling, screeching guitars. Other songs such as "GIVE UP YOUR LIFE" and the very
Olivia Tremor Control-like "WAKE UP (IN ROTATION)" are filled with irregular tunings, sometimes appearing to morph or decay in front of your ears. The wilted vaporfunk of "RAPID & COMPLETE RECOVERY" and the gauzy, breakbeat-laced "THE SERVER IS IMMERSED" are two of the more chilled-out moments here, although the lyrics express lingering doubt and uncertainty.
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE make willfully unorthodox music and seem to dare listeners to keep up with them and make sense of their art, but those who make the effort are rewarded by the band's unbridled creativity and warped yet radiant sense of optimism and excitement. ~ Paul Simpson