The Spirit Of The Beehive’s self-titled debut is the kind of murky, densely layered record that is richly rewarding on repeat listens, and one that deserves a much wider audience than it has right now. The Philadelphia band has crafted an album that chooses to stay in the shadows, a storm cloud overhead and with no light in view. It oscillates between moments of beautiful, unbearable vulnerability and a tarnished ambience that slides towards tightly-packed noise, and it’s at its best when both of those things happen simultaneously. On “I Smell Bud,” an album highlight, they achieve a balance between these two that’s absolutely divine and deeply sad: “I can’t be myself when you are away/ It’s okay, we’ll do it your way.” And later, spoken in deadpan: “I wish that I was skinny, then I wouldn’t need to be cool and maybe you would need me more than I need you.” The whole song has a queasy roll to it, which is matched in their new video, shot at a house party with an unsteady hand, mimicking the dizzying nature of the track. Watch below.

The Spirit Of The Beehive is out now. You can order the album on vinyl from Ice Age Records or Ranch Records.