Behind The Tracks: The Venus Fly Trap - Bebe (Single) (2026)

The single, we cryptically-titled ‘BEBE ’, which appears on the forthcoming DEJA VU 1986-2026 recollection album out in July on GLASS MODERN. It pays homage to Bebe and Louis Barron and their work on the cult sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet, digging up some roots for a rather nice piece of ear candy.

The Venus Fly Trap has always been a band in motion, not only musically but in terms of personnel. However, the last decade or so has found a stability in the line-up with things settling around the core of Alex Novak (vocals and robotic dancing) and Andy Denton (guitars and electric wizardry). It’s a tight unit that has not only produced some stunning albums, but some explosive live shows, too. There’s something about reduced numbers that has given Venus Fly Trap a singularity of vision and a strong focus, and that’s precisely what the latest single, ‘Bebe’ serves up.

Introduced by a keyboard riff that recalls early Kraftwerk, ‘BEBE’ has a retro feel, and if you are at all familiar with the band, that will come as no surprise, as our fondness for retro sci-fi comes into play here. Our vision of the future was all jet backpacks, monorails, and rayguns (I mean, how cool would that have been?), and was informed by the likes of Dr. Who, Douglas Adams, and the subject of this piece, Forbidden Planet. There was always a cinematic nature to the band’s sound, so it is no surprise the track fills your cranium with scenes from Alphaville and It! The Terror From Beyond Space.

Saying all it has to say in a cool 135 seconds, ‘BEBE’ doesn’t hang around; it is full without feeling cluttered and is a pleasing mixture of the organic and electronic. android-esque vocals meld themselves to Andy’s snaking solo and all atop a beat that’s so adhesive, it’s guaranteed like U-HU. Despite its retro feel, ‘BEBE’ finds us moving forward and exploring new textures, and it will be interesting to hear where we go from here.

Support independent metal journalism — Visit the official BTC store