The Bug Club - Green Dream in F#

If Jonathan Richman and Ray Davies joined Wet Leg, they might sound a bit like this engagingly sweet full-length debut from the scrappy Welsh garage-pop power trio. – Tinnitist

The Bug Club – surely by now a shoo-in for everybody’s favorite three-piece garage band from Wales – have signed to We Are Busy Bodies for North American reissues of their debut full-length album Green Dream In F# and their 2021 mini-LP Pure Particles, both out on color vinyl now. The Bug Club’s name does a good job of introducing the band and their music: a tight-knit, collaborative effort focussed on telling tales of the everyday that we often take for granted, shot through with humor and riffs-a-plenty.

Comprising the creative trio of Sam Willmett (guitar/vocals), Tilly Harris (bass/vocals) & Dan Matthew (drums), The Bug Club formed in 2016 in the little-known rock n’ roll hotbed that is Caldicot, Monmouthshire. The band were signed by Bingo Records in Autumn 2020 and released their first single ‘We Don’t Need Room For Lovin’ in Feb 2021. EPs ‘Launching Moondream One’ and ‘Pure Particles’ followed, along with standalone releases ‘Intelectuals’ and ‘Two Beauties’, building up to the release of debut album ‘Green Dream in F#’ by October 2022.

Initially championed by BBC 6 Music’s Marc Riley, along with Adam Walton and Huw Stephens on Radio Cymru, The Bug Club have since earned the support of DJs, fellow artists and press worldwide. Sold-out tours across the UK and in Europe paved the way for a 2023 which will see the band play further afield to an ever-growing loyal fanbase, who can look forward to a number of new releases from the trio this year.

Three groovy peas in a far-out pod!

Riding atop drummer Dan Matthew’s relentlessly solid foundation, Green Dream in F# packs in 14 tracks covering favorite The Bug Club topics including space, small town life, love and swearing. Sam and Tilly’s playing could be virtuosic if they were in any way arrogant, but they’re not, and so well-crafted and at times complex guitar work sits neatly within the sharp song structures that never stick around too long, and backs engaging and, at times, laugh-out-loud funny lyrical storytelling. Green Dream In F# was originally released in October 2022 on Bingo Records. Its UK run of LPs quickly sold out and We Are Busy Bodies jumped at the chance to press more. “Really excited to announce that We Are Busy Bodies are releasing Pure Particles and Green Dream in F# in North America! They’ve got some juicy numbers on their label, and we can’t wait to work with them,” says the band.

If you’re still trying to figure out what The Bug Club are all about, imagine Jonathan Richman bought a really big amp & a time machine and found himself somewhere on a Nuggets compilation. Or perhaps Ray Davis buddied up with Sterling Morrison, got really into The Minutemen and agreed that songs need not be longer than two minutes. Then, maybe, you’re almost where the Welsh three-piece are coming from. To showcase their songcraft and electric live show, the band have been on non-stop tours of the UK and mainland Europe, with many more spring dates scheduled. They will make their North American debut later this year. Be on the lookout for this indie powerhouse, pick up your color vinyl at fine record stores across North America, and get into the Welsh-wave that is The Bug Club.