Bare Bear - Bare Bear

​Bare Bear

​Bare Bear 
self-released; 2016

3.6 out of 5

By Jamie Funk
​

Bare Bear are a band from Enniskillen, UK who recently released a three song EP. The band from what I gather revolves around the ides of Ben Forbes who had some friends help out with the recording.

The recording is lo-fi effort which serves as a demo to showcase their talent. At this point they have a recognizable sound and bands such as Coldplay to The National came to mind. That being said the songwriting is rock solid and each of the songs deliver. The most enjoyable aspect to me were the vocals. Forbes has a pretty thick accent to my American ears and thought it fit the music quite well.

They open with “Down in The Dumps” which isn’t as gloomy sounding as the title suggests. In fact the vibe of the music is more like “Down in The Dumps but feeling better all the time”. The initial riff the bands rocks out to undeniably has a strong hint of Coldplay. Once the verse starts the band finds a subtle groove for Forbes to sing iver. The verse is catchy but the chorus is flat out memorable. The vocal melody carries the chorus and you will be singing along in no time.

​Up next is “A Shadow Of The Boy” which is another success. The song isn't quite as catchy as the opener but has a good amount of energy. Forbes still delivers a dynamic vocal performance. Speaking of dynamics the last song “Venice Is Sinking” is the most dynamic. It starts off with the hum of a single note from an orgam. Warm, softly played guitar enter the mix and not to much later the vocals find their way in. Once the drums start to bang and the guitar get distorted the energy goes up by a couple of notches. It’s not a complicated riff but works just fine in the song because of the vocal performances. “Venice Is Sinking” was my personal favorite song out of the three.

Bare Bare EP at the very least displays a band with a good amount of potential and talent. This is obviously a case and wait and see but hope to hear more from them soon with hopefully a little upgrade in the recording quality department.

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