Bedbug - Pack Your Bags the Sun Is Growing Review
Bedbug’s fourth entry into the indie-sphere takes a safe and easy step in the wrong direction.
In a music market littered with Alex G vocal strain and Modern Baseball copycats that beat their drum to the tune of teenage heartache, Bedbug has continually impressed their listeners with explorative lyrics. It’s hard to come across that not so long forgotten remedy of charming bedroom indie-pop that sounds like its come from the actual bedroom of somebody with something interesting to say. Sadly, if you’re looking for the perfect sound to accompany those lyrics, you might just have to keep on looking.
The question you may be asking Bedbug at this point in time is: after decades of lo-fi-indie-emo-pop that listeners can’t seem to escape from, filling venues between LA and London, what have they done to really standout? Whilst, yes, Bedbug’s newest entry certainly draws a line between itself and their past work by adding an explosive crashing drum set and improved synths, this time they fall flat with vocals, and it seems to change the whole dynamic of the album. The sound they kick off this album with is frankly ten-a-penny, and although Dylan Gamez Citron’s contemplative musings about long drives across sparse towns in search of God are undeniably charming, it’s hard to dismiss this issue. Whether it’s a problem with the sound of the music, the hundreds of other bands playing the same tune, or the tiktokification of the genre, it doesn’t really matter, something feels off.
Unfortunately best exemplified in their piece ‘Postcard’, this track is typical of all the ways this type of genre has become interchangeable. The welcome difference however, is the wonderful clash of drums playing defiantly in the background. This, accompanied with bitter-sweet lyrics, shows all the hallmarks of a track made with love: sadly that doesn’t guarantee a hit. The introduction on this album of crisper vocals is most likely the source of my loathing. Bedbug’s past work always featured a lo-fi hazy sonic quality that would nurture and sway you away to whatever mood or place they felt the whim take you. With this change comes a feeling of over-production and outside input.
One notable (and rare) stand out is the almost ambient track ‘Mount Moon’, which true to its name leaves the listener safe and sound far away in lunar orbit with it’s retro-futuristic synth box and walkie-talkie background vocals cheering the band on. It’s a nice respite and definitely welcome in the middle of the album. As the tempo and ticking of the backing track rises slightly, you might feel taken with that clear and clean feeling akin to an airy cool morning: that feeling of transportation is the perfect example of when music production is done right. This soft theme follows through to their next track ‘New Kinds of Stars’ with a gentle backing track that Citron’s vocals hum and whisper on top of, this is where those vocals thrive.
No track better demonstrates this fact than ‘Pack Your Bags, It’s Time To Go Home’. Citron’s vocals are on total display here, beginning with hushed tones, rising into his new bellow, until finally returning to a dulcet attitude. To be blunt, this band works best when the instruments do the singing, and their singer takes the backseat.
Both bonus tracks on this album, ‘Clouds From The Window’ & ‘Moon Still Grows’, should have been put on centre stage. They exemplify all that gives this band their cut above the indie-sludge. With a beautiful space-age sound, cheeping bird noises to compliment, and charming guitar to push through the overlapping instruments, these two tracks are the ones to be heard. If they were to take the next step in any direction, it should be right this way.
‘Pack Your Bags The Sun Is Growing’ is the very example of a band exploring their options. Whether or not this band is taking the mass-appeal bait of clear vocals and same-y guitar isn’t up for debate, proof of this is heard in the small yet drastic changes they’ve introduced to their sound. Evidence of their ability however is still clear, so its safe to say they haven’t lost that certain charm but rather simply taken a small step backwards. What we will be interesting to see, come their next release, is whether they stick to their guns or stick to their old beloved sound.