Progzilla Radio is listened to across this wee globe of ours, and it was a particular pleasure when I was contacted at the station all the way from Australia to listen to, play, and review some new music.

"Thinking Without Language" is the debut EP from Australian artist The Orphaned Bee, released through Bird's Robe Records, on Feb 28th, 2025.

The EP has five tracks dealing with an emotional journey of optimism, pain, joy, fear and eventual redemption.

It is a musical project from Australian multi-instrumentalist Brett Tollis, featuring the lyrics of Laura Boettcher (and Brett Tollis) and the drumming of Alex O'Toole.

I played Sanctuary on my show of 9th August, and it was very well received. Five tracks. Let’s discuss.

We open up with Rain, the synths providing for an instant hit, a relentless beat, the vocoder telling the story of falling, eternity beckoning, and the rain falling down on the protagonist, the burst of noise following the words grandiose, a symphonic noise bringing a strong start to proceedings.

Water follows, fighting the fire, watching the fire storm (common down under every summer). There are some crunching riffs from the outset, O’Toole pushing the limits of the track on his skins. The vocoder again tells us the story, but I must admit that personally, I would like to hear a singer realise the vision of Tollis, because the music is deserving of this, contrasting moods, adventurous soundscapes abounding. It is embedded below for you, a heavy electronic delight, full of intensity.

I have also embedded Sanctuary, the track I recently played, using, I think, the analogy of a partner as the legendary ark to protect from the extremes life can throw at us. Again, from the off, the sound produced is lush, filling the senses, and I think that Tollis must count amongst my finds of 2025, the ability to change moods and tempo effectively noticeable, the highs therein really lifting you. This was very well received by my listeners, and I think you will agree with them.

Fire asks a simple question. Why? Of course, the answers are not quite so straightforward, which is certainly a positive for those of a philosophical bent. The opening is sparse, deep bass notes accompanied by the percussion, before a harp enters introducing a melodic synth line. It is a stark contrast to what came before and reminds me of some of Foxx & Numan back in the day, less symphonic, more stripped back electronic pop/rock.

We close with Ascendance, the longest track here at just shy of six minutes, the words wanting to escape the pain of the everyday struggle, climbing higher and higher to transcend our struggle. It is, to these ears, dark, an electronica version of some of goth metal’s darkest moments, the mood very much reflecting the need to escape, as it progresses, fans of Jarre will enjoy the synth work before the symphonic core I loved earlier reasserts itself with a vengeance, a cavalcade of noise as the ascendency becomes real, some starkly beautiful notes amongst the wall of sound – redemption wrought large.

You can take a listen to this at https://theorphanedbee.bandcamp.com/album/thinking-without-language and I recommend that you do so. I think there is a huge amount of potential within this and can’t wait to see how it develops.