Monday 5/25: The Spirit of the Beehive—"The Door Is Open"
Today, we share our thoughts on the latest single by the Philly rock band The Spirit of the Beehive.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now we’re, also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a one-paragraph take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc.
Today, we share our thoughts on “The Door Is Open” by the Philly rock band The Spirit of the Beehive.
The Spirit of the Beehive—”The Door Is Open”
Eric Bennett:
Any new music from The Spirit of The Beehive after their superb 2018 album Hypnic Jerks was going to have to meet unrealistic expectations. Their latest offering “The Door is Open” does unfortunately fall flat. That’s not to say it’s bad—it opens with a vibrant, neon synth and relaxed drum machine that recalls the more electronic aspects of Jerks. Zack Schwartz and Rivka Ravede’s vocals are corrupted by autotune, sounding more like robots than ever before. The track’s only sin is it’s just kind of boring, and doesn’t unfold into anything as captivating as their prior work.
Eli Enis:
The Spirit of the Beehive aren’t really a “songs” band. Sure, there are standalone gems in their discography like “Natural Devotion” and “Ricky (Caught me Tryin’)”. But for the most part, isolating any one moment of their records feels like gazing at an I Spy book through a keyhole: an unsatisfying, and even pointless way of experiencing a full work of beautiful intricacies. It’s unclear whether the Philly band’s latest single is just a one-off or if it’s a teaser for a full project, but either way, this two-and-a-half-minute cut leaves a lot to be desired. The totally warped vocal production is intriguing and the underlying groove is vibey, but the chopped-up drums and pingy synths feel more like distractions than integral parts of the song. It’s a somewhat underwhelming return for a band who approached perfection on their last outing, but perhaps we should take them for their word: the door is only open, we haven’t even stepped inside yet.