Missouri band Me Like Bees returns with a pulsating new single, “Radio,” that pays homage to a long lineage of ‘00s rockers like Cold War Kids and Jack White, pairing an infectious riff with a powerful message.
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Stream: “Radio” – Me Like Bees
Seeking solace and a meaningful escape in music, no matter how temporary, has perhaps held no greater sway than right now – and that’s probably an understatement. It’s part of the reason why “Radio,” the brand-new release from aughts rock-influenced Me Like Bees, should hold so much sway for anyone who craves a high-voltage release.
It’s 4 AM outside my window
The streets all covered in blue
Their sirens singin’, third time this weekend
I got a disco for a living room
I turn the radio on
I turn the radio up
Put my headphones on
I turn the radio up
With the shades all drawn
I turn the radio
The urgent new single churns, rocks and shakes, and will no doubt sound familiar to anyone who’s sought refuge in the power of, well, a favorite new song on the radio. It pays homage to the swing and blues-y stomp of Cold War Kids in particular, with nods to other rockers who’ve made their name since the late ‘aughts.
On this true earworm of a release, the band is partnering with L.A. based indie record label Honey Pit Music.
Lead singer Luke Sheafer’s refrain is simple but powerful, and ultra-relatable: “I turn the radio on, I turn the radio up/with the shades all drawn, I turn the radio up.”
Sheafer’s keen observation that “the streets are covered in red” speaks to deeper issues in a very fraught world at large, too.
“We often find ourselves in the midst of unpleasant circumstances and realities,” the band tells Atwood Magazine. “Radio” is a song about wanting to escape those realities, but ultimately learning to cope with them.”
The sea of lawmen for the moment parted
The streets all covered in red
Board up my window, crank up that disco
There ain’t no Moses in my neighborhood
I turn the radio on
I turn the radio up
Put my headphones on
I turn the radio up
With the shades all drawn
I turn the radio up
I’ll be gettin’ along
I turn the radio up
Me Like Bees has coped with its share of lineup changes since its founding in 2009 by Sheafer and guitarist Pete Burton, who reconnected in southwest Missouri years after playing high school football together.
Sheafer and Burton first bonded over the likes of The Strokes, Modest Mouse and other heavyweights of the day – you very well might recognize the influence of Modest Mouse on the introspective “Pneumonia,” off the band’s 2013 full-length The Ides.
Stream: “Pneumonia” – Me Like Bees
The duo is now joined by bass player Jake Bennett and drummer Ben Davis – Davis even left his gig as an elementary school counselor to join the band in 2017.
Call it a stroke of good luck that helped the band push forward towards other releases, like the 2018 single “Run.”
“Our former bass player had suddenly quit, and we had a whole string of shows coming up and needed someone immediately,” Burton says. “Jake locked himself in a room for three weeks straight, and came out a monster bass player on the other side.”
The sea of lawmen for the moment parted
The streets all covered in red
Board up my window, crank up that disco
There ain’t no Moses in my neighborhood
I turn the radio on
I turn the radio up
Put my headphones on
I turn the radio up
With the shades all drawn
I turn the radio up
I’ll be gettin’ along
I turn the radio up
Bennett and drummer Davis’ groove is immediately locked in on “Radio,” a single that hopefully hints at bigger things to come for the Joplin four-piece.
The latest single continues the band’s instantly listenable trajectory and fits right in with recent appearances supporting the likes of the newly resurgent Silversun Pickups – Me Like Bees opened for the band in Wichita, Kansas earlier this week.
In the meantime, listeners seeking a respite from the struggles and stresses of the world outside their window would do well to give “Radio” at least a spin or two when times get tough.
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Stream: “Radio” – Me Like Bees
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