BED$TUDY | dot wave (EP)

Family Average: 5/7

Bee bee boop boop bo bop! If you programmed a 1980’s robot to be play R&B you might get something a little like BED$TUDY’s dot wave. The family was quick to appreciate this unique take on the techno genre in their EP dot wave. Even KEVIN!

Look below and see what the they had to say.

This was a uniquely enjoyable selection of music. Peter always says “there are only so many chords and that music can therefore be limited”. I love when artists put this theory to the test, which is what happens here!

The first track starts off like dreamy techno pop and then in comes the rap/hip hop/RNB influence. This creates something very different yet really fun to listen too. When you add their interesting lyrics and very professional production this pulls together all the elements needed for a solid EP. I'm interested to hear what they do next.

5/7

Bedstudy is a psychedelic-techno-R&B dream.

We begin with “Page ^” and I thought, “oh this is another one of those Tame Impala type bands, okay here we go.”  But I was wrong. The techno started being more techno and less psychedelic and then the vocals started and we’ve got some soul. R&B layered over some techno beats, I’m for it. I liked the female vocals blended into this track.

“I-V” has some solid bass, and those vocals just keep doing it for me.

“12” stood out to me especially, he really went there with the vocals.

This album is clean, refreshing and just plain good music. A keeper. There was not a track that I didn’t like.  

6/7

I usually try to go into these blind so my opinion isn’t colored by genre or background info. My own conclusion was “techno r&b” which is what it is so they did a great job conveying it. While I never really thought about mixing the two genres, in retrospect I can see how their qualities could compliment each other, as they have in this album.

I’ll admit though I was skeptical at first. “Page^” didn’t really work for me, it felt too out there and a bit too vapor for my taste. There was a lot to take in, so it wasn’t a song you could really immerse yourself in. The rest of the album is solid though, has a nice, non-invasive somewhat funky groove to it. The electronic accompaniment is mild when it needs to be, an even when it comes to the fore it works with the vocals rather than overpowering them. “I-V” was a bit long, but I have a feeling it’s more of a background song than one you’d intently listen to. “S_M00n was one of my faves. The soft vocals and the somewhat eurobeat feeling worked well together and got my head bopping along.

“12” was the most hypnotic song in the album, and one I’d recommend listening to with headphones cause it really plays with left and right ear stereo effects. Halfway through it kicks it up a notch and really gets going, almost has a bit of an MGMT feel to it. It settles back down but some of that residual energy from the refrain continues. The R&B style vocals shine the most in “D3N1M is the Vibe”, showcasing a great sense of rhythm and flow. The initial simple yet effective piano mixes with and eventually gives way to electronic accompaniment. The trumpet I think was pushing it a bit but I can still dig it. Given the genre, the echoy, distorted backup vocals fit right in.

Bedstudy provides a fresh and unique sound with dot wave, and if you have even a passing interested in techno and R&B I’d give it a shot.

5/7

The production is surely something to write home about and the variation in tone color never quit. — Kevin

It sounds like a more sexual version of River Tiber but in a sexy good way. There are many parts of this album that objectively feel nice.

The production is surely something to write home about and the variation in tone color never quit. I did however, find that some of the parts were just too explosive for me; there were times where it felt every instrument was having a party with one another and everyone just really drunk and starting talking too loudly. The vocals are surely a strong point as well but occasionally I just couldn't feel the emotion behind them and it became a detriment like in the intro to I-V, I just wished I could hear more of the experimental instrumentation before the vocals came in.

Overall, in conclusion, finally, in the end, this album is solid.

4/7