Marked by charm and introspection, Sea of Bees is the folk-seasoned indie pop project of singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Julie Baenziger. Raised in California's Central Valley, she taught herself guitar, piano, percussion, and more instruments beginning in her teens, eventually self-recording the first Sea of Bees release, 2009's Bee Eee Pee, in a single afternoon. After signing with Crossbill Records in the U.S., she followed up the EP in 2010 with the critically well-received full-length Songs for the Ravens, which included performances by John Bee, Vetiver's Andy Cabic, and Grandaddy's James Neil and led to a record deal with Heavenly (Universal Music Group) for worldwide release. Containing covers of Blue Öyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" and U2's "With or Without You," the EP Gnomes was issued a year later, and a second full-length album, Orangefarben (also featuring Bee, Neil, and Rusty Miller, among others), arrived in 2012 on Heavenly and Team Love Records. With a full band, the contemplative but decidedly upbeat Build a Boat to the Sun followed in the summer of 2015 via 3 Loop Music. ~ Marcy Donelson, Rovi