Australian chart-topping and ARIA-award winning act Boy & Bear announce their forthcoming self-titled fifth studio album, Boy & Bear, set to be released independently on May 26. To celebrate, the band shares the news that their latest single “Apex”( Listen Here) is available today, and that they will hit the road touring Australia throughout June and July.
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Following four ARIA top-10 charted albums, including two number ones, the indie band are following up with a new body of work, self-produced and recorded at Golden Retriever Studios in Marrickville (an inner-city suburb of their Sydney hometown) and mixed by Craig Silvey at Toast Studios in London.
Tim Hart, from the band, says the album represents a renewal of positivity, hunger and strength as they regain the opportunity to explore adventurous beginnings and creative turning points after being apart during the pandemic years. The album is the latest evolution in their approach to their songwriting and recording. It has familiar elements for listeners who have been on the journey since the early albums – a sense of rawness and authenticity, highlighted by Hosking’s signature heart-touching lyricism and indie-led melodies – melded with the band’s characteristic blend of pop sensibilities. Simultaneously, it’s a fresh chapter for Boy & Bear, showcasing electronic flourishes and rhythmic elements that were hinted at in their 2019 record Suck on Light.
Dave Symes from the band says of their self-titled fifth album:
“We wanted to make an album of seductive grooves, soaring melodies, modulated ambient textures, and great stories. We worked hard to strike the right balance between vintage and cutting edge, polished and sure, but full of heart and wild touches. Experimenting with analogue and digital became a happy place on this record, not just in the way we created sounds but also in the way we wrote them, performed them and put them together. After lock down it was great to all be back together in the studio, exploring the music we had been creating via various forms of correspondence. Nothing beats the feeling of getting the band back together and making music collectively. While we kept it local and made the album at home in Sydney, it was a real treat to get to mix the majority of the album with Craig at Toast studios in London. His creative touch added the final ingredient to the album, an album I have had a great time exploring, getting to know and now share with others.”
The band’s fifth self-titled album arrives following a jubilant return to music in 2022, with their singles “State Of Flight” and “Just To Be Kind”, an extensive national and regional tour, a European and UK tour, and a 10-year anniversary celebration of their ARIA double platinum album, Moonfire. Today’s third song released from their forthcoming album, “Apex” is an ethereal blast of indie-pop. As Dave Hosking’s immediate vocals croon beneath an arpeggiated guitar, an easy flow of warm grooves takes hold, flavouring the echoed choruses and coos.
Dave Hosking from the band says of their latest single, “Apex”:
“This song was a late bloomer. We had most of the record done and then Jon discovered an old version of this song which had a verse and chorus melody but no lyrics. This tends to be the way I write, come up with a melody using sounds and words that fit rhythmically but have no actual meaning, and then work back from there to fill in the story. Often the melody itself starts to drive the themes so it’s really about connecting with the melodic atmosphere and then supporting it with an appropriate story. I always loved the melody so I was determined to come up with the right lyric.”
For Hosking, “Apex” came together around the juxtaposition between seemingly having a good life and ‘living the dream’, whilst at the same time dealing with ongoing struggles in his life. The song is an acceptance of that state of being, but not an admission of defeat.
The band will celebrate their new record by touring Australia, supported by Boo Seeka.
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