The Bees - Wash In TheRain

Mon 14th Jun, 2004 in Music Reviews

The Mercury prize is normally a pretty good indication of which artists the English press is going to go nuts about in any twelve month period. Even nominees normally get a bit of a rave, but UK group The Bees managed to get their 2002 album Sunshine Hit Me nominated and even pick up a Q Music Award nomination for Best New Band without making any kind of noticeable impact here in Australia.

The band are getting ready to turn that around now with their new single Wash In The Rain, from the forthcoming album, Free The Bees, due for release in June. Recorded, mixed and mastered at Abbey Road Studios, this song is a subdued, yet nicely complete, toe-tapping number, laden heavily with pianos and keyboards, and some nifty guitar work. The lyrics are simple yet effective words of hope, and uplifting themes. “Sometime I even succeed, if you look at my life, I can’t complain, if you know what I mean.”

They are delivered at first in a Beta Band style drone, before lifting for the chorus to a raucous, yet not particularly angry yell. With this simple yet intoxicating number, the Bees might not change any lives, but they’re definitely looking to get the attention that their previous releases lacked.