Austin-based alternative rock musician Bee Blackwell is excited to share her new EP Nine Lives, available everywhere now. Written, self-produced and then recorded at the famed Sonic Ranch studio in three days during a sabbatical, Nine Lives is an inspiring indie rock-tinged tale of surviving through chaos and coming out of it better than ever.
Nine Lives was announced with “LALALA,” an upbeat, daydreamy mesh of melodic guitar licks, featuring soft harmonies that crescendo into a whirlwind of percussion and chants of the titular “lalala.” The track has a slightly dark, underground vibe with the hypnotic guitars and emotive vocals with equal parts angst and allure. The single arrived alongside the magnetic visualizer, encapsulating the dripping energy of the act and her new EP to come. Last month, she shared “CLAWS,” which features her signature brooding and gritty but fuzzed-out guitar work paired with emotionally charged vocals. An official music video for the track also premiered, paying homage to a 1993 live performance from shoegaze icons Swirlies.
Bee has kept busy over the past year, making her SXSW debut in Austin, TX, this past March, along with a handful of energetic shows around Texas. With a few months of free time, Bee couldn’t help but create her latest body of work, Nine Lives, serving as a personal diary entry, exposing her struggles, emotional hardships, and life goals. Each track is backed by clear and atmospheric guitar hooks, relaxed and steady rhythmic percussions creating a smooth, calming groove, and a little bit of 2000s emo greatness. The EP sees Bee at her most introspective and daring, taking creative risks while maintaining vulnerability.
In 2023, Bee began posting covers of her favorite emo and grunge songs online, creating a fanbase that revels in her cathartic and heartfelt music. What started as covers accumulated into her 2023 EP Calico, featuring the fan favorite track “Blue.” As 2024 began, Bee teased and released three new singles, “Dumb,” “The Same,” and “Signs,” and is now gearing up to release her second EP, which marks her first self-produced project.
