Making their mark back in 2016 with their debut EP, The Bad Bees are back with The Time It Takes, showcasing their intentions for the future of their work. — Making their mark back in 2016 with their debut EP, The Bad Bees are back with *The Time It Takes,* showcasing their intentions for the future of their work.

Progressive, indie-rock quartet The Bad Bees initially made their mark back in 2016, with the release of track ‘Starcrushed’ from their debut EP landing them a spot opening for Misterwives at iHeart Radio’s Summer Block Party.

Since then, they have been working together to define their sound, stepping away from the folk inspired groovy guitar riffs found in The Big Pretty (2017) and moving on to slower, dreamy sounds in their latest EP, The Time It Takes, which was released earlier this month. The Time It Takes fuses together atmospheric, elongated vocals paired with a higher pitched echo, similar to the likes of Grouplove or Bombay Bicycle Club.

Averaging at four minutes long, the EP becomes monotonous since there is not much happening in the tracks to make that time worthwhile. ‘The Frog Song’ is the most lively song on the EP, experimenting and pushing the lead singer’s own vocal range as well as harmonising with another vocalist. It also has an energetic, blast of percussion towards the end that adds depth to the track, flowing in smoothly to the dramatic start of ‘It’s All New’.
Whilst only four tracks long, The Time It Takes demonstrates a further exploration into finding out who The Bad Bees are and what their definitive sound is. None of their material is ready to become part of an album as of yet but with more lyrical and technical work and shorter track times, they could create a substantial and interesting debut album.

Rosie Chalk
★★☆☆☆

THE BAD BEES - THE TIME IT TAKES EP