Album Review: Drawn From Bees - 'Run Away (single)'

Drawn From Bees are a Brisbane quartet who have placed a dead bird on the cover of this single and have an forthcoming album titled "Fear Not The Footsteps Of The Departed", which, to be honest, could give some the impression that they may be a gloomy, post-rock band obsessed with all things dark and morbid. However, don’t judge the book by its cover (or in this case the single artwork and album title) because once you plug this single into your stereo you’ll find that first impressions can be deceptive.

Despite the dead birds and hints at dark themes, Drawn From Bees are actually purveyors of cheerful indie pop that is crammed with four-part vocal harmonies and thick acoustic textures.

The lead single from their forthcoming album, “Run Away”, is a song that sets the tone for things to come from this band. It has plenty of shouts of “hey” and “woo hoo” that are wrapped up in the band’s vocal harmonies and which sit atop a sturdy rhythm section and keys melody. With its chorus of “my Saturday morning paper tells me I should run away”, it has an honest quality about it that provides an insight into the personas of the songwriters within Drawn From Bees.

Taking the tempo down a couple of notches is “All The World’s A Stage” which features some falsetto that sounds very reminiscent of James Mercer from the Shins (which, of course, is a very good thing indeed). It’s not as upfront as the single and is a pretty cruisy tune.

“Many Miles” once more shows off the band’s four-part vocal harmonies, which appears to be their secret weapon in terms of songwriting. While many contemporary indie bands leave the vocal duties with one person, it’s quite refreshing hearing these guys share the vocal spotlight during their songs. To top things off, this song winds down with some Hendrix inspired guitar improvisation.

On some single releases, the single in question deserves all the attention, with any additional material just providing filler. However, in this case, the quality of all three of the songs on this single justifies listening to this one the entire way through.

The studio album, "Fear Not The Footsteps Of The Departed", will be released May 21st.

1. Run Away

2. All The World's A Stage

3. Many Miles