be kind to bees (stylized in all lowercase letters) is a lo-fi bedroom pop project that encapsulates a melancholic moodiness through low-tempo tracks of raw emotion. Their music features a very personal feel and can accurately be described under the sadcore subgenre. Their recently released track “How Do You Feel?” exemplifies this darkness and moodiness in a raw, atmospheric trip through despair.
Released on June 20th, the track opens with a guitar and bass instrumental focused heavily on the low end, creating a dark aura that continues throughout the track. A light buzz can be heard throughout the track, adding to the raw lo-fi aesthetic of the song. The slight imperfections make the song feel even more personal as the lyrics tell a tale of loneliness and disconnection. The vocals are sung in a low register in an almost spoken tone, in a haunting feeling of darkness that reminds me of Joy Division’s 1980 album Closer. The vocals are quiet but fit clearly and distinctly in the mix. The track keeps things simple with the rhythm being based purely on the guitar and bass, as seen in the intro. A light synth comes in later in the song, creating a sort of disconnect from the other instruments and lyrics. While the vocals are almost buried in the guitar instrumental, the synth sits above everything else. It gives a sense, nearly as if the synth is a representation of the rest of the world that the narrator feels so disconnected from. The synth is the joy of connection, but the narrator is buried in loneliness and despair.
The single additionally features a remixed version of the track titled “How Do You Feel? (verby)” which contains a slightly sadder sound created by the use of more reverb. It’s mostly the same track, but it’s worth checking out. Find the single on SPOTIFY for streaming and go follow be kind to bees on INSTAGRAM to keep up to date with their new releases!
Written by Naomi Niemiec
