Artist: The Bug Club
Album 1: Pure Particles
Album 2: Green Dream in F#
Welsh indie/garage-pop band, The Bug Club, has signed with a new record label, We Are Busy Bodies. To celebrate, the band has reissued their first two albums, Pure Particles and Green Dream in F#. The albums are available for streaming anywhere you get your music.
The three-piece band consists of Sam Willmett on guitar and vocals, Tilly Harris on bass and vocals, and Dan Matthew on drums. The Bug Club was formed in 2016 and released Pure Particles and Green Dream in F# in 2021 and 2022, respectively. According to the band, The Bug Club topics including space, small town life, love and swearing—focussed on telling tales of the everyday that we often take for granted, shot through with humour and riffs-a-plenty.
The Bug Club’s sound reminds me of bands like The Beatles, The Guess Who, and The Strokes. They have a very groovy, 70’s rock vibe. Each album has a mix of very unique songs—some leaning more towards an indie, far-out, relaxing sound, and others leaning more towards a grungy rock sound—but the album is still able to maintain a cohesive story.
Pure Particles consists of nine tracks: The Word of God; My Baby Loves Rock & Roll Music; Vegetable Garden; The Fixer; Pure Particles; Jonathan’s Gone; If My Mother Thinks I’m Happy; A Love Song; and Pure Particles Theme.
My favourite song on the album is probably “My Baby Loves Rock & Roll Music” because of the absolutely shredding guitar solo at the end of the song. “If My Mother Thinks I’m Happy” is a beautiful, sad song, with lyrics like, “No it’s not all about me/But sometimes I wish it would be.” Finally, “Pure Particles Theme” is an instrumental track that would fit perfectly on the playlist of any hip café.
Green Dream in F# consists of fourteen tracks: Only In Love; 6 O’clock News; Little Coy Space Boy; Love Is a Painting; It’s Art; Love for Two; My Guy; Going Down; Yesterday’s Paper; Sitting on the Rings of Saturn; Christmas Lullaby; Love Letters from Jupiter; Some Things Sound Better in Space; and Green Dream in F#. This album clearly has a “space” theme going on.
My favourite song on the album is “My Guy.” It is such a peaceful song, with lyrics like, “Someone to keep you safe/Safe from a single ray of sunlight in your eyes/Oh, they’ll say it’s fun and games/That love treats us all the same/But some are just born blind.”
While The Bug Club doesn’t seem to have any music videos for their songs, they do have their music available on YouTube that features some cool artwork.
Overall, I really enjoyed Pure Particles and Green Dream in F#. I wish The Bug Club the best of luck with their new record label!
