ALBUM REVIEW: pack your bags the sun is growing – bedbug

BEDBUG exist in the spaces in between. Between music and poetry, between being awake and asleep, and between a whole bunch of sounds. Listening to their new album, pack your bags the sun is growing is like taking a long walk through somebody else’s journal. This is to be expected, it’s what BEDBUG does best. But where releases like i’ll count to heaven in years without seasons have felt slower, sentimental, and have emotions quietly slowly rising from wherever you’ve buried them, pack your bags the sun is growing digs deep inside and pulls the feelings out by force.

Part of this is down to it being BEDBUG’s first album recorded as a full band fully in a studio. Crashing drums now punctuate lyrics like “Talk to God and look for signs that he can hear you” on the single halo on the interstate, packing a punch that accentuates their introspective storytelling in a way that just simply works. And while the studio sound is bigger, so is the scope. 

Mammoth tracks like leave your things, the stars are coming serve as the best examples of this. This particular song has a life of its own, a full universe packed into seven minutes. The trademark BEDBUG sound is still there; looping guitars guide you through the song, and intimate, mumbled vocals deliver lines like “we’re stuck like this forever, too young to live forever” in a way that makes you feel as though you’re sharing a secret. But, weaved into that there are brand new layers. The final moments of the track transition from gentle, acoustic guitar to building drums and a chorus of cathartic yelling. It’s a standout track that is sure to go down as one of BEDBUG’s best.  

Somehow while the sound has grown there are still certain tracks on pack your bags the sun is growing that feel so private you’re not sure you should be listening. mount moon is one of these tracks. Peppered with recordings of personal voicemails and, in perfect BEDBUG style, poetry verses, layered over synth and electronic sounds you find yourself nostalgic for places you’ve never been and people you’ve never known. 

In some tracks, pack your bags the sun is growing ties these two strengths together. The huge, scenic sounds with the intimate, human moments. These tracks are some of the album’s best. postcard breaks down your barriers straight away, with a false start. It’s a split second of sound, but one that lowers your guard. Keeping a flaw in the track sets you up to let the story of what goes on to be a pretty emotional journey in a little deeper. Just like leave your things, the stars are coming, the track experiments with quieter sections which frame a section of grandiose sound. The result is a song that sticks with you, even when it’s over.

The album finishes on an ambivalent note with sunset (finale). Just as BEDBUG exist in the spaces in between, sunset lies between sadness and happiness. It’s a more stripped-back track than others on the album, for the most part consisting of just vocals and strings, before giving way to an ending thick with ethereal synth that evokes a deeply bittersweet feeling of growth. Layered, yearning vocals deliver lines like “I’ve got new hobbies, I’ve got new friends” followed shortly by “we don’t really talk” which keeps this vibe going throughout the track. It’s a track that leaves you considering the big things in life, like the passage of time, which is a deep thought to end an album on.

Of course, this is fitting for an album that lingers with you for as long as pack your bags the sun is growing. Some things have certainly changed between records with BEDBUG, but one thing that hasn’t is their ability to catch you in your feelings and leave you a little more raw than when you first hit play.

Rating: 8/10

pack your bags the sun is growing is set for release on March 15th via Disposable America

Follow bedbug on Instagram.