You wouldn't guess when you listen to her new album, "Songs for the Ravens," that 25-year-old singer-songwriter Julie "Julie Bee" Baenziger hadn't heard The Beatles or the Rolling Stones a year ago.

"I didn't grow up listening to music except for my mom's Barbra Streisand and Cher," said the lead singer and main creative force behind Sea of Bees. "I've been kind of sheltered my whole life, so it was like a whole new world for me."

Sea of Bees, which is sometimes just Baenziger and other times a full band, will hold an album release party for its debut record Saturday night at the Townhouse Lounge. Sea of Bees will perform as an eight-piece band, opening for local band Doombird, as well as John Vanderslice, former Mk Ultra singer.

Though she didn't listen to much outside of the church and a few tapes, music has been a transformative force in Baenziger's life in terms of giving her a voice. She grew up in Roseville, knowing early on that the music in her church captivated her.

"I would start learning chords and singing because there was this girl at church with a beautiful voice and (who) played the guitar beautifully," she said. "She inspired me, so I would go learn her songs, mimic her voice and try to play it better."

Baenziger taught herself how to play guitar and left the church on good terms to pursue her own music. She moved on, writing her own songs for seven years. Last year, she was asked to play bass and sing backup vocals for Find Me Fighting Them, a local rock band she credits with boosting her confidence.

While recording with the band at The Hangar, where local artists Jackie Greene, Deftones and Tesla all recorded, Baenziger caught the attention of studio owner John Baccigaluppi.

"I was hanging out in the skateboarding room, a mini-pipe thing, and I was writing a song," she said. "John walked by and he liked what he heard. I was just in my own world writing a song. Everything was so new, and he said he liked it. I didn't know who he was."

She sent Baccigaluppi some songs, and he invited her to come down to the studio last fall. During her first time alone in the studio, she learned how to use Pro Tools, a recording software, and recorded her first four songs, which became the EP Bee Eee Pee.

Baenziger said "Songs for the Ravens" was inspired by her year living with Find Me Fighting Them, a time of new experiences. Her album is named after the "lonely, independent" bird she relates to.

It's also about those feelings.

"I felt a lot of things, desiring love, and a lot of loneliness," she said. "I had all these friends, but it didn't satisfy me. I have a lovely girlfriend now, and that's a whole new album coming out in the fall, but I've always felt restricted from loving the person I wanted to love."

Last year she got back into The Hangar to record the album with Baccigaluppi and some other friends on drums and synthesizers.

The album features acoustic songs, as well as full-band arrangements with upbeat synths. It's a dynamic offering for a debut, with Sigur Rós-inspired ethereal tracks like "Won't Be Long" that express a soul-wrenching sadness, as well as layered shimmering pop numbers like "Willis" and "The Gold."

Baenziger and Baccigaluppi got a number of label offers including Sub Pop, fomer Nirvana and Soundgarden label, but they chose Davis-based label Crossbill Records, which to them felt like a close-knit family. In the next month, Sea of Bees will be playing local gigs as well as ones in Los Angeles and New York City.

Townhouse Lounge is located 1517 21st St. Tickets cost $7 online and the 21+ show begins at 8:30 p.m.