2024
Beloved Binge released the first song from their 7th studio album, Godwit on November 14th, 2024, Awaiting Your Arrival for the Journey: See Godwit
Press for Godwit
“Giving the vivid impression of two people who enjoy each other making amiably spontaneous, frugal and bubbly indie pop tunes nestled in DIY and Lo-Fi aesthetics, filled with driving rhythms, energetic jangling guitars, and drifting dual vocal blending in charming lighthearted, wide-eyed harmonies, with Rob’s gravelly deep delivery reminiscent of Calvin Johnson.”
On Awaiting Your Arrival for the Journey:
“The song stirs Moe Tucker-esque drawling, skittering percussions, windy humming basslines, churning guitar riffs à la The Modern Lovers, and fluting wistful organ motifs, coloured by heartfelt baritone vocals and high comforting female back-ups, exploring joy through a lens of letting go of preconceived notions about ourselves and others.” —
JanglePopHub New Music Recommendations
“Godwit [Awaiting Your Arrival for the Journey] is the first new music by Athens based Beloved Binge since their superb Signals album of 2019 and offers a twee rock that is reminiscent of the incessant jangly drive of the Real Numbers or Tullycraft.”
2019
Beloved Binge released their 6th studio album, Signals, on October 11th.
Press photos available for download
Press for Signals
Winston Salem Journal, Relish entertainment section
“An adventurous mix of down-tuned guitars, atonal vocals, and lyrics that are alternately dark and funny.” –Author Eddie Hoffman on Signals
“They are fun-loving, infectiously happy, down-to-earth folks who have never let go of their pioneering punk spirit.” –Jamie McClendon of Dom Casual, Thee Dirtybeats and El Mirage
“Their quirky, bubbly brand of indie pop-rock with punk, DIY roots blends and bends genres and is always entertaining.” –Alanna Meltzer-Holderfield, Jews & Catholics
“A more punky Violent Femmes.”–Eddie Garcia, Jews & Catholics, 1970s Film Stock
Track “Headspace” a “new recommendation by Jangle Pop Hub
Scene Point Blank Premieres Departures I
“As the human companion to several dogs over the years, there are aspects of the song and accompanying music video, premiering below, that I find moving and affecting – the referenced detail about smudges remaining in the mirror is especially heartbreaking, yet ‘Departures I’ moves past feelings of anguish toward something warm and reassuring.”
Jangle Pop Hub Premieres Signals
Via Twitter “Beloved Binge create a superb aural soundscape to big city indifference on the title track to their forthcoming Signals album.” — and in the review: “If the entire contents of their 6th album are just as raw and atmospheric as this track then it deserves to consume our attention.”
2018
Beloved Binge’s move to NYC and apartment-hunt was featured in Sunday’s “The Hunt,” a long-standing column in the New York Times.
Latest release: Never, the end EP
Recorded in Athens, Greece, Beloved Binge’s 2016 ep Never, the end is available for purchase digitally through itunes or Bandcamp. There are a few limited edition Garfield bookmarks available with download codes for the entire ep. Email us for options.
Press for Never, the end
Creative Loafing: Beloved Binge of Connectivity
Independent Weekly: The duo’s last show before leaving Durham
Media for prior releases contains (in order):
Links to our songs, Pockets press, video, audio, discography, photos for download, bio, and press clips.
Recent tour press for Beloved Binge:
Drunken Werewolf blog (Bristol, UK)
Indioteque: Beloved Binge в 5 песни (Sofia, Bulgaria)
iNews Οι Beloved Binge live στο Ρομάντσο (Athens, Greece)
Charlotte Loafing alt-weekly (Charlotte, NC) “Beloved Binge of Connectivity”
Reviews of Pockets:
Full reviews
- The Independent Weekly: https://indyweek.com/music/beloved-binge-s-pockets/
- The Secret Carrboro Ninja
- The Daily Tar Heel (Diversions)
Interviews / Blogs
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- Shuffle Magazine: Beloved Binge talk despair and celebration
- The Mill: Gimme 5, Beloved Binge
- Gimme Tinnitus: Not posted mix
- Scrink: An affecting, indulgent album from Beloved Binge
- Fuzzy Logic: Sounds of Hopscotch: “I’ve found myself instantly smitten with their mix of sweetly wry jangle and artsy quirkiness, keeping it real whilst also keeping it fun.”
Radio
- WXDU: Top 99 NC releases, #26 and top 100 all releases: “How completely joyous was this record? Another 2012 local favorite.” –Andrew Bellemer, DJ
- See list of 40+ stations that added Pockets below
Excerpts
“The spirit of the band is still playful, even as it tackles weighty themes…Pockets is Beloved Binge’s fullest-sounding and most confident record to date.” – Bryan Reed, Independent Weekly
“…a fun pop record that delivers hook after singable hook… —Carrboro Ninja blog
“Pockets is a tremendous record.” —Hannah Levinson, Shuffle Magazine
“These two tackle drums and guitar with energetic arrangements and a delightful sense of play.” —Ashley Melzer, The Mill, from feature on Beloved Binge “Gimme 5.”
“Reminiscent of groups like the Moldy Peaches, [Beloved Binge adds] a humorous touch to lyrics that might seem dark otherwise. Beloved Binge pulls out lighthearted pop-punk jams with its fourth studio album, Pockets. It will certainly leave listeners with plenty of catchy riffs to get stuck in their heads.” —Daily Tar Heel, Diversions
“Their latest album Pockets is quite an emotional journey. The music is something to indulge in, it’s not meant to be a fleeting moment on your stereo.” —Scrink blog
Videos
STPP festival in DC, Unification of + and –
Little “Rob” Riding Hood featured on Hello, Hi
Love song to Curiosity Space Rover
10 year Bandiversary celebration video featuring Decades
Songs
Songs from all releases can be found here on Bandcamp.
Discography
From 2004-2014.
Photos
Photos for download (note credits).
To access full-sized photos, click the image thumbnail, then click the resulting small image.
Bio
Behind Beloved Binge
Beloved Binge plays rubble pop rooted in a punk pot with a hint of old Greek village mountain uprising, interpreted through traditional rock-n-roll drum-guitar-bass-keys arrangements, and boy-girl harmonies with a sprinkling of bouzouki.
Activity
Beloved Binge began in 2003 in Seattle’s Capitol Hill following a six-month trip and hiatus from their previous band. Beloved Binge performed at Graceland, I-Spy, Sit & Spin, and more while in Seattle, then released their debut album, Beloved Binge, with friend and engineer Scott Waite on bass. In 2005 they moved to Durham, NC because it’s closer to Greece , packed full of musicians and culture, and causes less weather-related deaths.
As a duo, Beloved Binge toured in 2006 for the first time, an experience which facilitated Eleni penning the human-loved song “Miso: I don’t like people.” Subsequent tours were more favorable, and for a year from 2008 – 2009 Beloved Binge toured all over the nation in a Westfalia camper van with their dog Syba and Eleni’s documentary Seeing Through the Fence. This resulted in over 25 news articles about their DIY tour.
The 2009 tour was cut short when Eleni’s best friend and father died unexpectedly in Greece. After a trip back to the memorial, Beloved Binge continued to tour in 2010 and played a SXSW movie premiere afterparty. In September 2011 Beloved Binge recorded their 4th album (to be released Fall 2012 as Pockets) on the two- year anniversary of Eleni’s father’s death, then played a Hopscotch Day party the next day. Beloved Binge continue to perform around the Triangle, NC in 2012.
Beloved Binge are Rob Beloved (guitar, low-voice singing, drums), Eleni Binge (drums, high-voice singing, guitar, bouzouki, keys), and Mike Wright (bass).
Press
Live show
From Shrieking Shack Shows (Lexington, KT):
“this was an awesome show–how much talent can you squeeze into a 2 piece–he plays guitar, she sings, plays keyboards, and plays the drum kit–catchy songs that stick in your head for days–now they are a pop band–but with that cool indie garage ethic–”
Bryan Reed, Independent Weekly (Durham/Chapel Hill, NC):
“Sitting behind the drumkit, Binge not only sets the rhythm but sings, plays keyboards and plays guitar. Like her own motion, Beloved Binge songs are busy, using shifting rhythm and keys and two different verses sometimes sung at once.”
From One Base on an Overthrow (Connecticut Blog):
“Toy xylophones as instruments, playing drums and keyboards at the same time, banging on guitar strings like a percussion instrument…on this particular night it agreed with me fine, especially the blown-out Dinosaur Jr. part in “Married on Myspace” and the minimalist indie rock throb of “Miso (I Don’t Like People)”– ‘I don’t like people, but still, I’m trying.'”
Pockets era
Early reviews of Pockets
“The spirit of the band is still playful, even as it tackles weighty themes…Pockets is Beloved Binge’s fullest-sounding and most confident record to date.” – Bryan Reed, Independent Weekly
“…a fun pop record that delivers hook after singable hook… —Carrboro Ninja blog
“These two tackle drums and guitar with energetic arrangements and a delightful sense of play.” —Ashley Melzer, The Mill, from feature on Beloved Binge “Gimme 5.”
“Reminiscent of groups like the Moldy Peaches, [Beloved Binge adds] a humorous touch to lyrics that might seem dark otherwise. Beloved Binge pulls out lighthearted pop-punk jams with its fourth studio album, Pockets. It will certainly leave listeners with plenty of catchy riffs to get stuck in their heads.” —Daily Tar Heel, Diversions
Blender Theory era
Jersey Beat (NJ):
“Beloved Binge nailed it: Twisted, lo-fi indie homage with just enough mad science and tongue-in-cheek irony…The band services up a stereophonic celebration of jangly off-kilter guitars in the vein of They Might Be Giants, The Flying Lizards, B-52’s, etc., that accent tight, catchy little pop songs that, at first, seem simple; but repeated listenings reveal the band’s wicked humor, and their amazing less-is-more approach.”
Colorado Springs Independent (Reverb) (Colorado Springs, CO):
” …upbeat, stripped-down and muffed-out indie-pop rock. Taking turns strumming, humming and drumming (while swiping pages from the K Records playbook) Rob Beloved and Eleni Binge conjure up happy memories of indie rock’s fun-loving and far less pretentious past…”
Chris Conti of the Providence Phoenix (Providence, RI):
“An amalgamated blast of lo-fi and fuzzy Garage rock with a twist or two or three, Blender Theory defies description for the most part, and ain’t that a good thing nowadays? The opening track “(Got) Married on Myspace” bobs and weaves from jangly pop to something akin to a Sleater-Kinney B-side with some seriously strange breaks in between. “decoy” and “Heartburn” belong on your summer playlist…”
Duluth Budgeteer (Duluth, MN):
“With a sound as infectious as this, Beloved Binge can keep on singing about Lordonlyknowswhat and people will still be listening…..What’s most striking about this album, however, is that no matter how absurd the lyrics get…the more you want to listen.”
VivaIndieBlog (North Carolina Blog):
“Intelligent, inventive, amusing…”
New Haven Advocate (New Haven, CT):
“Minamalist weird guy/girl duo Beloved Binge [are] a fun and goofy outfit…”
Chris Parker, Independent Weekly (Durham/Chapel Hill, NC):
“Catch BELOVED BINGE, too: Rob Beloved and Eleni Binge hit the road soon for a year, and, in the Durham duo’s absence, we’ll lose a K Records/ Teen Beat blend of generous hooks and captivating quirks. Songs about MySpace couples come backed with the struggle to like people, and shifting time signatures springboard from trebly, staccato riffs.”
Feature in the Olympian (Olympia, WA)
Grayson Currin, Music Editor, Independent Weekly (Durham/Chapel Hill, NC):
“Eleni Binge’s time shifts behind the drum kit and Rob Beloved’s serpentine-note guitar lines suggest a certain affinity for math rock. But perfection and precision are subsumed by an overarching playfulness.”
The Hartford Advocate (Hartford, CT):
“Rob Beloved and Eleni Binge create a full and fun electric sound, sharing guitar, drums, and vocals duty.”
Ross Grady, trianglerock.com (Durham/Chapel Hill, NC):
“The countdown is on…all the pieces are falling into place for their year-long tour starting this fall. See ’em while you can, because you know you’re gonna miss their off-kilter gtr/drums call-and-response artrock.”
Other Places era
The Independent Weekly:
“Beloved Binge “delivers plain-spoken, pensive songs…downright thrilling for those on the receiving end…”
David Menconi, News and Observer, from Critic’s Picks:
“…it’s nice to have Seattle’s transplanted Beloved Binge…in our midst. On “Other Places”…the tandem of Rob Beloved and Eleni Binge play stripped-down punk rock that doesn’t feel thin, combining the howling abandon of Sleater-Kinney with a very fine attention to poppy detail…”
Currents:
“The melodies are simple, the sound a stealthy mix of guitar, drums, plucky vocals, and a little bouzouki (traditional Greek stringed instrument), but the resulting songs of Durham duo/couple Beloved Binge…are scrumptious treats.”
Independent Weekly, from Music Worth Leaving the House For:
“If Lee Ranaldo and Fontaine Toups had wed, Beloved Binge …would have been their Teen Beat babies.”
Diversions:
“Beloved Binge…brought with them a sound that is as rooted in Northwestern lo-fi pop…as it is in East Coast (specifically D.C.) punk…[and] succeed in creating varied songs…the band can…craft a catchy melody, but also knows when to step on the distortion pedal.”
The Raleigh Hatchet:
“…a truly unique duo. Right off, the delightful spin of “New Year” is “Faces,” which features Eleni’s talent for balancing vocal harmony and power. It also shows the knack Beloved Binge has for transitioning into completely different rhythms flawlessly…”
Independent Weekly:
“Like wonderful Chicago co-eds The Spinanes, Beloved Binge hustles through minimal guitar-and-drum pop obsessed with sparseness, space and sear. But they do it with the gumption of 764-Hero and, occasionally, the enthusiastic bluster of Sonic Youth.”
Other Press
Eleni Binge interviewed for Herald-Sun article about Marry Durham festival that Beloved Binge performed at on 3/17/2012.
Eleni Binge interviewed for Independent Weekly article on her annual vegan Thanksgiving Record Party.
For non-BB press see Porch Life Productions, Eleni and Rob Beloved’s company that represents Beloved Binge and creates/produces documentaries, and Triangle Meatless Monday, which Eleni helps organize/manage.
Radio stations playing Pockets
Here are some stations playing Pockets. Feel free to request songs from the album at your local station. If your station is not playing Pockets, we’d be happy to send them a copy. Let us know or have them get in touch with us here.
- www.chuo.fm
- www.kbrp.org
- http://www.kcsb.org/
- www.kcss.net
- www.kdhx.org
- http://www.khsu.org/
- http://www.knon.org/
- www.kspc.org
- www.ktuh.org
- www.kucr.rg
- http://kups.tumblr.com/
- http://www.radio1190.org/
- www.kvrx.org
- http://radio.wfu.edu/
- http://wbwc.com/
- www.weft.org
- www.wicb.org
- http://witr.rit.edu/
- www.wmnf.org
- www.wmua.org
- www.wncw.org
- www.wruv.org
- www.wuog.org
- www.wvfs.fsu.edu
- http://www.wvkr.org/
- http://www.wwuh.org/
- http://www.wxjm.org/
- http://www.wxjm.org/
- http://www.radioaggieland.com/
- http://www.usu.edu/asusu/usuradio/
- http://www.cfre.org/
- http://www.kdur.org/
- http://kfai.org/
- http://www.kopn.org/
- http://www.koto.org/
- http://www.kumd.org/
- http://kuws.fm/
- http://www.wdom913.com/
- http://www.wesufm.org/
- http://wgls.rowan.edu/
- www.wkdu.org
- http://www.wnhu.net/
- http://www.rollins.edu/wprk/
- http://www.uwosh.edu/wrst/
- http://www.893wumd.org/
- www.wunh.org
- http://www.wvud.org/
- http://wxac.squarespace.com/
- www.wxdu.org