Oh Pennsylvania. When it comes to music these days it’s a “land of milk and honey…” and BEES! Philadelphia’s arcade-rockers return with an announcement of a new EP and video game! I am personally so super stoked about this, and if you are a fan of retro-gaming, high energy punk rock and the chiptune sound/movement – then you most certainly will be too.
BEES! are unveiling a new single from the EP as well as a Chrono Trigger / Undertale-inspired, vintage NES RPG game on 02/03/2024. A release date that will culminate in a live show at Silk City with Haha Charade (from Wilmington) and Philly Power-Pop favorites Scoopski. You can expect the whole EP, titled “BEES IN TIME” to drop on March 1st shortly thereafter, along with more live music as the band also booked to play a couple dates at the Outsider Music Festival in Morgantown, WV on March 8th and in Pittsburgh, PA on March 9th.
I had the awesome opportunity to hear the EP early and it is solid! They really “level up” on this new one, if you will. They revamp a previously released song titled “8-4” from their 2020 self-titled album and it slaps! They layer that synthesized sound card element amazingly giving a whole new perspective to the song. I was already a fan of the original version, this “arcade version” of the song intensifies the original beautifully. Or, as simply put by the band:
“Check out our new EP, now with 100% more arcade”
ORDER “BEES IN TIME” ON BANDCAMP NOW!
If I may just geek out on you for a moment, I’d like to go on a bit about the video game, also titled the same as the EP “BEES IN TIME.” The stage is set to where players are going to time travel to stop alien insects from blowing up the planet. The game’s storyline will feature special guest appearances by other local Philadelphia artists Avataria, Fataday Korngor (Sacred Monsters), and none other than the aforementioned Scoopski. And as a special spoiler, or perhaps more of a “teaser,” players of the game are also able to hear the EP in-game and in it’s entirety before it’s officially released. How friggin cool is that??
And as I’m thinking about all that awesomeness, it leads me down the path of circling back to the chiptune sound referenced earlier. It’s somewhat of a new-to-me concept recently. I have some friends in my hometown in a comedy band that out a couple NES style games and created a “universe” around their act and I’ve recently started following an “Emo” chiptune project called “Exciting, Excellent” here in Portland.
What’s super interesting about it is that none of these bands in essence sound the same, but all share the chiptune style of incorporating synthesized PSG sounds to color their work. And it works like a charm, I’m so here for it. It’s some of the coolest stuff I have heard lately. BEES! Very much being at the forefront of blazing paths with the style, they’ve been perfecting the craft since 2018.
BEES! Rockin New EP & Retro Gaming Extraordinaire @BEESphilly
Stream on Spotify NOW! https://t.co/nxtdSQWnoI#LessThan1000Followers #FreshSingles #AlterindieStateOfMind #UnknownButEssentials #SickestandDopest #OnlyPunk #BLOGLT1KF #LT1KF pic.twitter.com/TXicaGIqc2
— Jpgchief (@Jpgchief) March 1, 2024
Don’t forget to support this project and to follow Bees on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, SoundCloud, YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify. You can also visit their official website. If you enjoy their music and are able to provide monetary support, you might consider downloading it on Bandcamp.
It also helps to stream and share their music; you can obviously find it in the following Playlists: Less Than 1,000 Followers, Fresh Singles, Indie Only, Alterindie State Of Mind, Sickest & Dopest, Only Punk, and Unknown But Essentials!.
Remember that you can always find me here AMS Radio for all my social media and collaborations.
P.S. If you enjoy discovering new artists and fresh new music you can subscribe to this blog Less Than 1,000 Followers and follow the Playlist with all the artists that we have presented here!
If you enjoy this track don’t forget to give it a green heart when you’re on Spotify and add it to your favorite playlist. This little action not only saves the track on your music library but also will help the artist, you know that the game’s name for us is “support”. Thank you!!!
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