Bees In A Bottle are an indie rock duo from Portland Oregon, comprising Christine and Chad McAllister. They are set to release their new album, ‘The Sun Left And Took The Moon With It’ on April 14, and the second single from the album, ‘You Alone’, was released on March 3.
The album came about after the deaths of two friends in the early 2010s – one from suicide, and the other from a sudden medical emergency. Christine started looking into the effect on those left behind, and the impact of self-destructive loss. Her research found that when male musical artists died by suicide or as the result of addiction, the women in their lives were affected in ways that were far wider than she expected. The departed musicians had a whole mythology built up around them, while the women in their lives, their wives, mothers, sisters, and so on, more often than not seen as hangers on, encroaching on the genius of the male artist, somehow responsible for the loss of creativity and so on – were not given the same sympathy as other bereaved partners, and at worst, were blamed for the death of the artist.
Each song on the album is written for a woman left behind. While Bees In A Bottle won’t reveal who the songs are written about, it doesn’t matter; the compassion they show for the survivors is enough; it makes them for “Everywoman”. Latest single, ‘You Alone’, is heart-rending, as it takes the point of view of a woman who’s caught up not knowing whether to feel sad or relieved that the self-destructive behaviour of her former partner has finally caught up with them, and with those mixed feelings comes an added one of guilt, that she’s not certain of how to feel. She’s left them before their death; she’s despaired at their choice to waste their talents – “it was a choice made by you alone”. She still loved him, but realised she couldn’t help, so when news broke of his death, she thought, “It’s finally over. Son of a bitch you really did it. Should I be sad or just relieved for you alone?”
Set against a pop rock instrumental of guitars, drums, and keys,Christine McAllister’s vocals are soft yet harrowing, gentle yet moving, conveying what it’s like to be bereft, and helpless. While ‘You Alone’ and the other songs on ‘The Sun Left And Took The Moon With It’ is about the women in rockstars’ lives being left behind, we all have someone who we’ve had to let go of, that has needed to suffer the consequences of their own actions. And it’s incredibly sad.
You can stream ‘You Alone’ on Spotify, and download from Bees In A Bottle’s official website. Find out more about Bees In A Bottle and their music online on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Apple Music, Bandcamp, and SoundCloud.
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