Photo by Theo R. Welling

We first met Shady Bug in 2023 on the heels of the St. Louis experimental noise-pop rockers’ listmaking breakthrough EP What’s the Use? In the years since, the trio of frontwoman and guitarist Hannah Rainey, guitarist Ripple, and bassist Chris Chartrand has expanded into a four-piece, now with Ingram Tolish on drum, and the decibels they’ve been contorting must be doing something right and different, because they’ve now linked up with TAGABOW frontman Doug Dulgarian’s red hot Julia’s War label for the co-release alongside Bee Side Cassettes of their forthcoming third LP, I wanted to be there.

“my night routine” is a great starting point for those just arriving to Shady Bug’s peculiar way of examining internal monologues within a vacuum of loud and quiet noise that always end with an eruption either way. In this instance, it’s those late-night, racing thoughts on words that could have been said or should have been said differently. Behind a dichotomy of low-level hums of feedback phantoming a whooshing box fan and translucent post-shoegaze angles, frontwoman Rainey attempts to separate past from present friction. “Screen porch, looking at my screen, time to sweep but not under the rug please,” she sings. “At night, I could text you anything, time to sweep, time to sleep.” The worry that the battles were for nil are not for nothing. In the end, intrusive thoughts keep her up fighting at night.

Directed by: Lana Dvorak

Shady Bug’s I wanted to be there will be released October 30th on Julia’s War / Bee Side Cassettes.