Bear Driver are a six piece collective now based in London, who implement instrumentation typical of a indie folk band, but they use this to create upbeat surf pop that seems to have the edge over most of what is happening in the UK scene at the moment. The band have been around since about 2009 and have received a lot of support from BBC Introducing over the years.
The biggest comparison to be made is with the likes of Arcade fire, Super Furry Animals and Smith
Westerns. With a diverse style and accordion in tow, the band share vocal duties
to create moving melodies that shift in tempo regularly.
Their debut EP, Paws
& Claws, was self released in 2009 to much acclaim from the press.
Glockenspiels and synths permeate through the record forming warm melodies. The
band use a mix of male and females vocals to form multi-layered harmonies in a way
that has drawn a lot of attention to them.
Appearances at lots of UK festivals throughout the years,
such as Reading & Leeds, End of the Road and Brainwash festival, they are
no stranger to playing to large audiences. They completed their first proper UK
tour in late 2010, having otherwise stayed primarily near Leeds beforehand.
In 2010 they released the single Wolves, which is a delightful pop song strewn with infectious hooks
and a dynamic mix of strings and keys. The B-side to that single, Long Lost Giants, is a slower, more
moving piece with sprinklings of violins and distorted guitar chords.
The first single from their debut album, Never Never, has a more dreamy surf-pop
like quality about it, with hazy vocals meandering between big guitar tinges.
There's just something about the track that makes it impossible to listen to
just once.
Their as-yet-untitled debut album is due out in February and
you can download the first single, Never
Never, here. This is a really exciting time for the band and I have a
feeling that sometime soon they might just be a household name.
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