B-Side Guys

Some songs don’t just honor the dead—they invite them back. Bunch of Others’ debut single “CURIOUSITY,” released just five days ago, accomplishes something far more ambitious than typical memorial music. Through the psychedelic rock project’s “floating water funk experience,” frontman Jeff Tubbs doesn’t merely process the loss of his brother Kyle but creates space for an impossible duet that transcends the usual boundaries between remembrance and presence.

The track opens with what the band describes as a “funk-a-delic” foundation that immediately establishes its refusal to treat grief as purely somber territory. This aesthetic choice reflects deep understanding that mourning often requires movement rather than stillness, rhythm rather than silence. When Jeff takes the vocal lead “both vocally and emotionally,” the arrangement provides enough space for exploration without overwhelming the intimate nature of the material.

The track moves through distinct emotional territories—from the opening funk exploration through “structured playful groove” before reaching its most remarkable moment: the percussion reprieve that introduces Kyle’s unreleased vocal performance. This isn’t mere inclusion of archival material but deliberate artistic resurrection, creating temporal collapse where past and present occupy the same musical space.

The decision to feature both brothers performing identical lyrics represents sophisticated approach to memorial art. Rather than positioning Kyle’s voice as artifact from another time, the arrangement treats his contribution as active collaboration in ongoing creative work. “Same lyrics, same family, same song but a different vocal expression” becomes profound statement about how individual identity persists even within shared experience and bloodline connection.

Instrumentally, the track demonstrates impressive restraint in service of its conceptual goals. The saxophone solo that concludes the piece provides “energetic and playful” celebration without overwhelming the more introspective elements that precede it. This compositional balance suggests a band comfortable with both experimental exploration and accessible emotional communication.

The track’s movement from “floating” to structured groove and back to floating creates cyclical rather than linear progression, mirroring how grief often operates—periods of grounding interrupted by moments of disorientation, with gradual acceptance that both states can coexist. This formal choice transforms the listening experience into something more participatory than observational.

Perhaps most effectively, “CURIOUSITY” avoids the trap of treating Kyle’s death as purely tragic endpoint. By positioning his unreleased vocals as contribution to ongoing musical conversation rather than final statement, the track suggests that creative collaboration can continue beyond physical presence. The saxophone finale reinforces this celebration of persistent connection rather than permanent separation.

As the opening statement for what appears to be a larger reconnection narrative, “CURIOUSITY” establishes Bunch of Others as project capable of transforming profound personal loss into genuinely innovative musical experience. The track’s closing question—”Will your curiosity continue?”—feels less like marketing hook and more like genuine invitation to participate in ongoing exploration of what remains possible between the living and the dead when music provides the meeting ground.