Today the band Collections of Colonies of Bees has shared their second single “Killerers.” The group have existed in various forms and incarnations, beginning with Chris Rosenau and Jon Mueller. The line-up grew and evolved. At one time, Nick Sanborn, currently in the spotlight as one-half of Sylvan Esso, counted himself as a member. At another, the group joined forces with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon to release two albums under the moniker Volcano Choir. In fact, it was Vernon who proclaimed of his collaborators: “If the world was perfect, they would be as big as U2.” See for yourself, today, the band has shared their new video for album single “Killerers”

Never content to paint the soundscape twice, the previously instrumental Bees now come outfitted with vocalist Marielle Allschwang and an upcoming full-length, HAWAII. The full-length comes out on July 13th via Polyvinyl Records. The band hit the road this summer, for a run of dates with Sylvan Esso.

Chris Rosenau texted Justin Vernon on the way home from performing duets with Nick Sanborn at the second annual Eaux Claires festival and asked, “if Bees got a whole new set together, could they play the third annual Eaux Claires music festival?” Bees was the first band booked.

All songs that appear on the new album, HAWAII, were written based on that text message – to premiere at EXC3 in July 2017. Collections of Colonies of Bees music has spanned many genres over the years. For this set, the current members were all in agreement: something new. Vocals were suggested, but shelved as an idea. Shelved that is, until a new approach was hatched: come up with a process whereby vocals could be micro-edited and spliced together, much like Rosenau’s guitar loops, such that they could be in sync with the music and build to make new, unexpected melodies on top of each other. The band also wanted to accomplish this without a laptop on stage. Tall order, but after enlisting long time friend Marielle Allschwang to see if the idea could work, they ended up inventing a new instrument: a pedal rig so Allschwang could link her voice to Rosenau’s guitar. Their pedals are connected and timed together, allowing them to create complex layers of rhythms and harmonies, a technique on full display in “Killerers” as well as the rest of the album, contributing to its signature sound.

07/20 – Minneapolis, MN @ Surly Brewing Festival Field # [SOLD OUT]
07/21 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theatre # [SOLD OUT]
07/22 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theatre # [SOLD OUT]
07/23 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre # [SOLD OUT]
07/24 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre #
08/08 – Milwaukee, WI @ Washington Park Summer Concert Series
# w/ Sylvan Esso