Shady Bug Is One of This Year's STL 77

This year ​the RFT recognizes ​St. Louis' ​stellar music scene by presenting the STL 77, ​our list of 77 acts who did big things in the last twelve months. From now through June 17, the date of our huge annual music festival ShowcaseSTL, we'll be announcing two ​honorees per weekday on our music blog. For more information on STL 77, as well as the complete lineup for ShowcaseSTL, go here.

Rainey twins Hannah and Delia have always been magic creatures, spinning fairy tales, acoustic guitar and warbly intuitive harmonies into shadow-dappled metaphors via their band Dubb Nubb. Shady Bug is Hannah Rainey’s more earthbound iteration, expressing her experiences in the heart of STL’s bustling DIY scene. On its debut album, tbh idk, it’s thrilling to hear the capacities of an already impressive songwriter expand dramatically with the addition of creative, rocket-fueled drums and distortion in the classic loud-quiet-loud tradition. Endearingly weird bent notes abound, and the project doesn’t sound like Dubb Nubb electrified — it’s a true meshing of styles with her bandmates, who seem to be channeling equal parts Mac DeMarco and K Records. The band’s occasional vocal harmonies are as crucial to the sound as the chorus effect on Hannah’s guitar, and the whole thing rolls comfortably between casual and epic, a surprisingly polished sound from the underground.

Recommended if you like: Spinanes, Meat Puppets, Mac DeMarco, Mirah

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shadybuggg/
Bandcamp: https://shadybug.bandcamp.com/