Review: Bees Made Honey In The Vein Tree ‘In Between Strides’
Sometimes a band never truly finds themselves until well into their career. Starting out as one thing and evolving along the way, they can meander along for years before finally hitting their stride and creating something that encompasses them comfortably.
There are bands out there that start one way and stay in that lane forever; the sound they have travels with them, and it becomes synonymous with being their ‘sound’.
AC/DC, Iron Maiden, and Motörhead, to name a few, are prime examples of outfits that found their sound and stuck to it without ever needing to change up what they do. And that’s fine; if that’s what it takes, then it’s no bad thing. Sometimes what is familiar is home.
Mostly, though, that isn’t the case, and as a group evolves, so too will their sonics. It is more commonplace for a band to deviate throughout their career, and in most cases, it sees them become more versatile along the way. Think of pretty much any band, look at their catalogue, and you will see specific junctures where they seem to finally fit their shoes – and that’s what they capitalise on and fine-tune dramatically.
With Bees Made Honey In The Vein Tree, this is unapologetically true. Over the course of their twelve-year history, we’ve seen them shift from a psychedelic, doomy beginning to where they are today: a far more luxurious shoegaze dynamic. It still echoes some of those initial concepts, but fits more snugly into the shoegaze realm, which really sees the quartet excel.
In Between Strides, the Stuttgart four-piece’s latest offering, features all the hallmarks of that shoegaze, dreamscape atmosphere – from jangly guitars to ambient, trippy, otherworldly soundscapes that have been beautifully captured in the process of creating the magic. In doing so, it sees them finally slot into the rightful home where they belong.
The thing is, with this album, it so wonderfully defines shoegaze in 2026. It is as standoffish and abrasive as real shoegaze should be, yet unabashedly takes the mould and morphs it into a far more accessible entity. While not being mainstream fodder, it is niche enough to be cool on its own merits.
it is easy to get so immersed in the experience that space and time become irrelevant…
Over the course of the five tracks, it is easy to get so immersed in the experience that space and time become irrelevant. The realm between one track and the next blurs, providing a seamless transition throughout. So much more than just five individual tracks, it feels like one lavish, longer piece, disjointed only by quieter moments.
Track one, ‘Departure’, sets the tone for the whole adventure, welcoming us in with a somewhat restrained and subdued opening. It is serene, dark without being imposing, and inches into post-rock territory: moody and pensive. The calm, understated vocals help monologue the journey as they wash in to fully reveal their dynamics. Kinda reminding me of both Elder and REZN, there’s something quite charming about this quartet. They explore the sonic space without fear of going too far in any one direction. Heavier moments return and drop off into lighter, trippy swathes when the fog lifts to reveal the sunshine, something particularly obvious here on the opener.
Respite, track two, doesn’t so much start as it breezes in, eloquent and understated. Beautifully played on dual guitars and nothing else, these airy few minutes never change tone or mood, providing a wonderful, ahem, respite between tracks one and three.
Clutching At Straws provides our most disjointed shoegaze-esque experience. Abrasive in texture, it sounds incredibly retro in style and would so easily have found itself a home in the ‘90s scene. It strikes at early Slowdive, or maybe even early Ride – such is the awkwardness of its DNA. It feels remarkably obtuse in its contours, and across the five pieces, this is the harshest.
Elisa provides a nice bridge between tracks three and five, again offering a more chilled moment for contemplation before Return Precipice comes crashing in. This one final act of defiance acts as the traumatic crescendo to burn it all down. It is angsty and doomy, uncomfortable and disjointed. It shows the band at their most visceral – it even features screeched vocals – making for a truly menacing finale.
All in all, it’s a passionately powerful ode to the shoegaze contingent, a real ode to awkwardness, and a masterclass in otherworldly sonic mischief. If you like darkly different, then this will be right up your street.
Label: Magnetic Eye Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Lee Beamish
