Bear the Moon’s 2023 EP “Microscopic” is, so far, their only published collection of music, spanning just fifteen minutes over five tracks.
The cover evokes a nostalgic coziness with splashes of brown wood and orange-lit plastic contrasting with the blue shag rug – a teddy bear watches TV static from the floor.
Time and memory feel like a major theme on this EP. The title track (a standout for me) laments that two people “started off on borrowed time,” or “would have more time to laugh it up” – the anxiety is obvious and pointed.
Not to mention the song before it, “Lost Time” consists of what sounds like a family voicemail from a grandfather figure. Talk about spelling it out for you.
Who can’t relate to wanting a little more time? Music is supposed to take you places, and this band is really intent on sending me somewhere.
Debut album? Who needs ‘em? An EP and a few singles are all you’re getting for now. Don’t mistake a lack of experience for a lack of talent, however, because the band can build more than a catchy tune. They actually punch way above their weight class, sounding like a group that has had the time to figure each other out.
If a word comes to mind, it’s “polished.” From the very beginning, tracks like “Honey” have sounded crisp and clean from top to bottom. The band’s atmospheric sound relies on producing a layered and lush soundscape that feels big without choking the vocals. This all serves to produce an endlessly groovy throwback that goes down real easy.
In the three years since Microscopic, the band has released a run of singles like 2024’s “promise” or “Infinite Worlds” from just this February. Bear the Moon know what they’re doing – they’ve been continuing to do what they proved they do best in 2023: making head-bobbable, funk-influenced indie rock.
We might have to wait a bit longer for a full-length release, but if their quality is any indication of their trajectory, Bear the Moon seems to just be getting started.
You can find last week’s feature on Mol Sullivan here. Leave a comment on our Instagram or email me at ebloomfield@linknky.com with your suggestions for next week’s local band highlight!