Bug Moment Started With a Meme

“This all just started as a fun project,” vocalist Jasmine Rosenblatt says. “We never thought it would get this far.”

After some lo-fi bedroom recordings and an internet meme resulted in thousands of online streams, Milwaukee indie-pop group Bug Moment has a sold-out show at The Back Room at Colectivo under its belt.

The group dates back to 2020, when Rosenblatt and guitarist Gray Edwards began collaborating on each other’s songs. The Bug Moment track “TERMITES,” off the band’s debut EP “Bugs,” is an early example of those collaborations.

“Gray asked me if I’d sing a line on [that] song and decided we fit well together [musically],” Rosenblatt says.

Since then, the band’s lineup has been rounded out with Aidan Hoppens on drums and Elias Dorsey on bass. The name of the band, which is derived from an internet meme, came about when Rosenblatt and Gray discovered that Bug Queen and Bug King were both already taken by other bands.

“I said [it] as a joke, and it became Bug Moment from there,” Rosenblatt says.

Bug Moment’s sound, on its recordings, has a lo-fi bedroom pop feel to it – which is largely in part due to it being literally recorded by Rosenblatt and Edwards on GarageBand in Rosenblatt’s bedroom. Currently, Bug Moment’s only release is its 2021 EP “Bugs,” an eight-track collection of songs named after various insects. The first track, “MOTH,” demonstrates Bug Moment’s ability to take a dreary pop song and emotionally drive its catchy choruses to new heights. “TERMITES” sees the band dive deeper into the electronic realm, with vocal effects and synthesizers carrying the tune. “GRASSHOPPER” is a minute-and-a-half-long, angsty sonic assault that taps into the band’s emo and punk influences.

Throughout its eight tracks, “Bugs” often feels like Bug Moment is trying to figure out its sound – no two songs really sound like they’re from the same band. But the EP never really suffers from this fact, and there ends up being a little bit of something for everyone.

And while those recordings are spreading the word of Bug Moment throughout the country and, according to the band, in other parts of the world, Bug Moment truly shines during their live shows, where the energy is amped up and fans are treated to punchier and more dynamically-driven renditions of its popular bug-titled tracks. Rosenblatt commands the attention of the room despite her short stature, engaging with audience members as she belts out melancholic lyrics about feeling small and overwhelmed by the world. There’s a contagious energy to Bug Moment’s performances – the band is not only enjoying themselves on stage, but they’re enjoying their time together – as if you’re witnessing the band play together for the very first time. You can’t help but feel like you’re a part of the fun as well.

That live performance tone and energy will be better captured on the band’s upcoming full-length album, which is being recorded with a bona fide studio and slated for an early 2023 release.

“This upcoming project is much more serious sounding than our previous album,” Rosenblatt says. “We want to show our growth and understanding of music, and dive into new themes.”

Rosenblatt promises that there will still be hyperpop and electronic elements that fans have come to love about Bug Moment’s current recordings, but, now that group is a four-piece band, the compositions will carry a much fuller sound.

With all of the packed shows and impressive streaming numbers, it’s clear that Bug Moment is well… having a moment. But if the band’s current trajectory this early in its life is any indication, Bug Moment’s impact on Milwaukee music is sure to last for more than just a moment.