Throughout their short yet prolific career, The Bug Club has undergone many changes. What started as a blues-rock revivalist group has evolved into an artsy indie rock outfit, centered around cheeky songwriting and subtle experimentation. In 2024, it was announced that The Bug Club had signed with the prestigious Sub Pop Records, marking yet another major shift for the energetic rockers. Their Sub Pop debut, On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System, landed in 2024 and introduced The Bug Club as a daring, punk-tinted rock band unconcerned with genre norms and expectations. After plenty of sonic toiling, it would appear that The Bug Club has landed on a sound they can call their own, which brings us to a crossroads as we near the release of Very Human Features, the band’s second LP with their new label.
Very Human Features marks a significant release for The Bug Club. With a new sonic terrain laid out before them, will they fall victim to repeating themselves, or continue their circumnavigation of the rock world and emerge with yet another new musical universe for the listener to explore? The answer lies somewhere within the 13 songs that shape The Bug Club’s latest, and it may be more intricate than you think. On the surface, Very Human Features is a fuzzed-out, lo-fi, genre-blurring outing akin to Bug Club’s previous work, but a closer listen reveals the nuances that highlight the band’s growth. The vocals are more acrobatic, the musicianship is more honed and impressive, and the songwriting gets more vulnerable as The Bug Club finds its footing as adventurous rock fusionists.
Very Human Features finds The Bug Club sticking to a formula of dizzying guitar work that accents soaring vocals and chaotic drum patterns, but it isn’t all nostalgia for the young band. Rather than take the risky leap into an entirely new direction, the band toys within the confines of their world, creating a familiar yet expansive atmosphere. There is an underlying maturity or confidence on display throughout Very Human Features that proves The Bug Club is far from done evolving. The ideas are more elaborate, their visions loftier, and the execution of it all is stellar and infectious.
The Bug Club’s short spurts of witty punk have become elongated indie rock anthems. Just listen to the face-melting guitars on “Twirling In The Middle,” the immersive storytelling on moments like “Young Reader” or “How To Be a Confidant,” and the towering falsettos on “Beep Boop Computers.” This is a band whose creativity sees no ceiling, and it is aiming straight for the stars. While it is refreshing and lovely to hear a band expand on their established sound, a highlight from Very Human Features comes out of left field. The title track, or “Muck,” is a nimble and quaint acoustic number with off-kilter, spoken word-style vocals that introduce a side of The Bug Club we haven’t heard before. It is at this moment that the vision for Very Human Features becomes clear. The Bug Club is seemingly unbothered by the eyes and excitement around them, and they’re going to use this freedom to create whatever it is that pops into their head.
