The Beekeepers - Song Demos 3 - 3.5" Floppy Disc

Self Released (2019)

This is a new one.  Three songs on a 3.5" floppy disc.  Or at least that's what it says is on here, I have no way to actually check that.  There could be a deadly virus or a gif of a porcupine eating a taco.  What I'm saying here is I haven't had a computer with a 3.5" drive in probably fifteen years so I just have to take The Beekeepers' word for it.

Luckily the songs are readily available on their bandcamp page and as a free download to boot.  I reviewed one of the band's demo tapes a few years ago and enjoyed it.  I'm happy to say I like the three songs on this release as well.  There's a lofi pop thing going on here.  The vocals and melodies remind me of White Wires, though you need to replace the surf vibe with some upbeat jangly guitar if you wanted to see where The Beekeepers were at.

This came out back in 2019, like so many of the tapes that have been lying around here.  Based on the Bandcamp page it seems like this was the last batch of songs released.  I hope they do some more as I have enjoyed what I've heard so far.  Maybe there will be a sudden run on 3.5" floppies now that I've finally wrote about this.  Maybe not.

The Beekeepers  - Song Demos 3:
https://the-beekeepers.bandcamp.com/album/song-demos-3

The Beekeepers - Song Demos Cassette

Self Released (2019)

I get a decent amount of tapes sent to me to review.  I hate tapes.  But, I don't mind hearing new bands, so when there is one that's good, it makes the slog worth it.  Unfortunately the vast, vast majority of the tapes that get sent to me are terrible (excluding most of those sent by Snappy Little Numbers, their track record is significantly higher than everyone else's).  Like really, really bad high school style punk rock bands.  Everyone has to start somewhere, and I get that, but that doesn't mean you have to send your tape to me.  I'll feel an obligation of guilt to actually write about the stupid thing.

That said, every so often a pretty decent tape slips through.  This Beekeepers cassette is one of them.  It's not great by any stretch of the imagination, but it's also not terrible.  Jangle heavy guitars shimmering along to vaguely 60s style pop rock.  There's a hippie vibe for sure, but at least they've got the pop part down.  All of the songs have nice, melodic verses and reasonably catchy choruses.  Where they lose me a bit is the vocals.

The voice is something that will take some getting used to.  There's definitely something of a Muppets/Kermit vibe to them, which isn't inherently bad, but I found it a little bit distracting as I went through the tape.  Song Demos is a reasonably pleasant little cassette.  I wouldn't go out of my way to pick it up, but you could do worse than spending a few minutes digging through their songs on Bandcamp.

The Beekeepers - Song Demos:
https://the-beekeepers.bandcamp.com/album/song-demos