BOY & BEAR RELEASE SELF-TITLED FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM BOY & BEAR

BOY & BEAR

RELEASE SELF-TITLED FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM

BOY & BEAR

BUY/STREAM HERE

ANNOUNCE EUROPEAN & UK TOUR FOR 2024

TICKETS ON SALE NOW HERE

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Photo Credit: Maclay Heriot

Today, Australian chart-topping and ARIA-award winning act Boy & Bear release their self-titled fifth studio album, Boy & Bear, available now independently.

Following four ARIA top-10 charted albums, including two to take out the number one slot, Harlequin Dream and Limit of Love, it is with high anticipation that the indie band release their fifth studio LP. A new body of work, each of the 11 tracks were self-produced and recorded at Golden Retriever Studios in Marrickville, Sydney, 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 lockdown 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.”

Further, Dave Hosking shares: “I’m fascinated by the fragility of our own minds but also what we’re capable of – there are love songs, there are songs of struggle and there are songs of celebration”

Across its 11 tracks, Boy & Bear veers between warbling synths and borderline psychedelic grooves on “Strange World”, runs free with melodic, echoed choral chants and layers of strummed guitars on “State of Flight”, hits with shimmers of indie-pop and sharp guitar riffs on “Silver Moon” and experiments with expansive synth pads and irresistible beats on the likes of ‘Just To Be Kind’. The album reaches a euphoric finish on “The Wheel”, an uplifting swan song of cathartic energy. Dancing between the shadows and into the light, the song is the band showcasing their best.

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TRACKLIST

1. Strange World
2. State of Flight
3. Silver Moon
4. Magnus
5. Apex
6. Muscle
7. Crossfire
8. Just To Be Kind
9. Tin Man
10. Hostage
11. The Wheel

Boy & Bear have also announced they will return to mainland Europe and UK shores in early 2024, making stops in Glasgow, Manchester, London, Brighton and Bristol throughout February. Tickets are on sale now at boyandbear.com.

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BOY & BEAR Europe / UK Album Tour Dates

Tue 23 Jan 2024 – Das Bett, Frankfurt, Germany

Wed 24 Jan 2024 – TivoliVredenburg Ronda, Utrecht, Netherlands

Thu 25 Jan 2024 – Muziekgieterij, Maastricht, Netherlands

Fri 26 Jan 2024 – Oosterpoort, Groningen, Netherlands

Sun 28 Jan 2024 – Säälchen, Berlin, Germany

Mon 29 Jan 2024 – Ampere, Munich, Germany

Tue 30 Jan 2024 – Stadtgarten, Cologne, Germany

Thu 01 Feb 2024 – Botanique, Brussels, Belgium

Fri 02 Feb 2024 – Les Etoiles, Paris, France

Mon 05 Feb 2024 – King Tut’s, Glasgow, UK

Tue 06 Feb 2024 – Gorilla, Manchester, UK

Wed 07 Feb 2024 – Electric Ballroom, London, UK

Thu 08 Feb 2024 – Komedia, Brighton, UK

Fri 09 Feb 2024 – Thekla, Bristol, UK

The band’s fifth self-titled album arrives following a jubilant return to music in 2022, with its previous singles “State Of Flight”, “Just To Be Kind”, “State of Mind” and “Apex” receiving widespread global press adoration. Prior to its release, the band enjoyed an extensive national and regional tour, a European and UK tour, and a 10-year anniversary celebration of their ARIA double platinum album, Moonfire. The band were most recently nominated for Reader’s Choice at the Rolling Stone Awards 2023.

Sydney-bred Boy & Bear first rose to prominence in 2009, uploading their track “The Storm” to triple j Unearthed. Two years later, their debut album Moonfire was released, which would go on to reach double platinum ARIA status, peaked at #2 on the ARIA chart, winning five ARIA awards including Album of the Year, and three spots in the triple j Hottest 100. In 2013, their sophomore album Harlequin Dream debuted at ARIA’s #1 spot and is certified platinum. Their third album, Limit of Love was be their second consecutive #1 ARIA chart debut, and see them tour the world multiple times, become Splendour in the Grass festival favourites, perform on Conan O’Brien, and sell out two Sydney Opera House visits. While the band have enjoyed a ten-year career of outstanding accolades and cherished hits, they’ve also continued their reputation as one of the country’s best live acts, performing to upwards of 65,000 Australian fans every year, in addition to regular sold-out international tours.

Enter the world of Boy & Bear today, as their newest and independently released self-titled album becomes yours to hold ahead of their not-to-be-missed live shows coming to a city near you.

BOY & BEAR
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