The Orphaned Bee, the solo project of Australian sound engineer and multi-instrumentalist Brett Tollis, presents with “Thinking Without Language” a debut release that is emotionally profound and sonically immersive. The EP explores contrasting states — optimism, pain, fear, joy, solitude — shaping a synaesthetic experience where music speaks louder than words.
The title “Thinking Without Language” suggests an approach that transcends verbal communication. What ideas or emotions did you want to capture with this choice?
That’s exactly it, I wanted to explore the world of thinking and feeling without the constraints of verbal language. To be emotionally moved without being led too obviously in a particular direction. To create music that is more of an open book that listeners can enjoy and connect with in different ways, depending on their lives and experiences.
You’ve described the project as a “wall of synths” intersecting Prog, Synthwave, Post-Rock, Metal and Ambient. Where does this rich and eclectic blend originate from?
To be very honest, it was never a conscious intention, but as the songs developed, they took themselves in not just a few directions but a mix of all the directions of all the music I’ve been influenced by.
The EP seems to take the listener on an emotional journey, moving through feelings of optimism, pain, fear, and redemption. How did you approach designing this progression across the tracks?
After the first few songs were taking shape, I realised that they all had their own clear emotional stances and it seemed to me that they were taking me on the journey themselves. Its a bit of a journey through life. The optimism and joy of when you are young before the clouds of reality start to brew around you. The inevitable hardships of life start to accumulate, but you can usually build on your strengths and find a way through….eventually though, the hardships return and may completely knock you over….and again you rebuild. I’m not quite there yet, but after talking to many older people, many of them have said how they can look back on some of those hardships and realise they were unnecessary and how so many of the difficult times that we endure are self inflicted, often chasing something that doesn’t really matter in the end.
You worked with Alex O’Toole (drums), Ron Pollard (mixing, piano) and Tim Carr (drum recording, mastering). How did each of them contribute to building the final sound of the record?
I’ve been lucky enough to have known these amazing musicians through my work as a live audio engineer and was ecstatic that they wanted to work with me on this project. Even though I had written the basic drum parts, Alex brought a wealth of ideas, knowledge, skill and love into the final drum parts and their recording. When I first approached Ron to mix the EP, I made it clear that he could and should be as creative as possible. He added so many ideas for tones and textures in the mixes, running channels through old synths for filtering and everything through a vintage console. He’s an amazing keyboard/piano player so it was a real treat to have him playing at the end of “Rain”. Tim is an absolute expert in his field, so to be able to go into Rancom St Studios in Sydney and record drums with him was a wonderful experience. He has such a great ear, awesome gear and a lovely human to be working with.
From recording to mastering — what were the biggest challenges or memorable moments during the production process?
I had tracked everything except for drums myself which ended up being up to 100 channels per song, with so many layers and textures being combined to create new sounds. I was lucky that Ron enjoys the challenge of such a big mix. Recording the drums was always going to be the biggest potential hurdle, but with Alex and Tim on board it was as easy as it could be. We recorded it all in 1 day, which was lucky, as I live 1200km away.
“Rain” opens the EP with a cinematic, sci-fi-tinged atmosphere. Was it conceived as a statement of intent for the journey ahead?
It was always intended to be upbeat, but weird. A dancey track that you just can’t dance to without potentially falling over. Perhaps Prog-Kraut Rock? It marked the optimistic beginning of the journey.
“Water” introduces heavier, almost Doom-like textures, with vocoder layers and hypnotic distortion. Can you walk us through the creative process behind this track?
“Water’ was definitely intended to make you feel that something was starting to go wrong. Rain keeps the world alive, but too much rain, and it starts to flood, and floods can be overwhelming. It is the transition from optimism to realism, as life starts to feel heavier, the instrumentation gets heavier.
“Sanctuary” is often highlighted as the most emotional and evocative piece. What was your intention in shaping this composition?
It’s a plea for help, but also a moment of respite from the raging waters of life. We find a way to navigate the difficulties of life and build ourselves a Sanctuary.We are safe, for now.
“Fire” plays with hypnotic rhythms and subtle dynamics. What emotions did you want it to convey?
As we sit in our Sanctuary, feeling safe and secure, we may not notice the smallest flame that can bring it all crashing down. I imagined the smallest fire in the corner of a room, slowly building, hypnotising us with its beauty and rhythm. The song, the rhythms, dynamics and sounds all follow the fire as it grows and finally engulfs us.
“Ascendance” closes the EP with a Psychedelic and transcendent crescendo. What symbolic meaning does this ending hold for you?
It’s the end of the journey. We fought. We lost sometimes. We won sometimes, but in the end, the only way forward is to transcend the need to win (or lose) and try to enjoy the ride with all its ups and downs. Inspire yourself in whatever way works for you.
When you were creating the EP, did you intend for it to be experienced as a single, continuous journey, or as individual tracks?
That was definitely my intention, though I feel that the songs stand up well on their own. The EP moves through a fair range of genres, so there will definitely be some people that don’t connect with certain parts of it, but to me, that also mirrors our lives. Hopefully its a collection of tracks that people can come back to and appreciate different elements at different times.
You’ve already announced a collaborative project for November and your first live performance in December, as part of Bird’s Robe Records’ 15th anniversary celebrations. What can you tell us about these upcoming steps?
Yes, the next release is not quite announced but will be a single in collaboration with a well known Australian post-rock band which will be released in mid November. It’s been great to work with other artists who have given me the green light to take their music in another direction, and I’m hoping to have a few more collaborations through out the new year. We are very lucky to be part of the Bird’s Robe records family, so to have our debut performance opening for bands such as sleepmakeswaves, Caspian (USA), Toehider, and Closure in Moscow is very exciting, and a little daunting. It will be fun to bring the songs to a live space. Alex O’Toole will be drumming and I have the amazing Matthew Jones, who plays for Matt Corby, on guitar.
Looking ahead, which directions would you like to explore with The Orphaned Bee— a sonic evolution, new themes, or perhaps more immersive live experiences?
Great question, and I’m still developing my thoughts around this. I’m hoping to release a string of collaborations over the next few months, but will then get back to writing and recording either a new EP or a full length album. The themes will be different, as I’ll have to see where the songs take me, but it will be an exciting journey to go on. I’d definitely like to develop the live experience and be able to create something visual to match the audio experience, and be able to bring that to the world.
Working with vocoder, synths, guitars and cinematic soundscapes, how would you describe your artistic and technical role in The Orphaned Bee?
It’s been great getting this all together, using and learning so many different instruments, with seemingly endless possibilities. Strictly speaking, my role is to imagine, design and create everything that is ‘The Orphaned Bee’, but a big part of that is to pull together a great team of people that are similarly onboard and greatly contribute to the project.
On a lyrical level, what does it mean to you to write and communicate through deliberately sparse or filtered text?
I’ve always felt musical emotion through textures, tones, progressions, melodies and harmonies, so it was actually a bit strange for me to be adding vocals and lyrics. Its such a different medium of communication, but no less important, of course. It was great to have Laura Boettcher write the lyrics for ‘Rain’ as it matched the tone of the optimism of that track, but I think that sometimes saying less actually says more. I like to let the music bring words into the listener’s mind.
“Thinking Without Language“ marks not only a striking debut for The Orphaned Bee, but also a statement of intent from an artist unafraid to blur boundaries and embrace emotional honesty through sound. As Brett Tollis continues to expand the project’s scope — from upcoming collaborations to live performances — this EP stands as both a deeply personal journey and an invitation for listeners to lose themselves in music that speaks beyond words.
Purchase “Thinking Without Lenguage EP” on Bandcamp: https://theorphanedbee.bandcamp.com/album/thinking-without-language
Read our Review of “Thinking Without Language EP” here: [Review] The Orphaned Bee – Thinking Without Language EP