[Cover photo credit to Maclay Heriot (@maclayheriot)]
Australian ARIA-award winning act Boy & Bear have released their self-titled fifth studio album, Boy & Bear, available now independently. The new album follows four charting albums and each of the 11 tracks were self-produced and recorded at Golden Retriever Studios in Marrickville, Sydney. They were mixed by Grammy Award winning Engineer Craig Silvey (Florence + The Machine, Arcade Fire, The National, Of Monsters and Men) 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.”
Dave Symes from the band says:
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.
Boy & Bear will celebrate the release by touring Australia and New Zealand starting in June. Hitting both cities and regional locations across Australia, the band will be supported on stops along the way by Boo Seeka and FELIVAND. In addition, they have announced an EU/UK headline tour.
BOY & BEAR ALBUM RELEASE EVENTS
Tuesday, May 30 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne (SOLD OUT)
BOY & BEAR AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND TOUR DATES
Friday, June 16 – Palais Theatre, Melbourne VIC
Saturday, June 17 – The Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane QLD
Thursday, June 22 – San Fran, Wellington NZ (SOLD OUT)
Friday, June 23 – San Fran, Wellington NZ
Saturday, June 24 – Powerstation, Auckland NZ
Friday, June 30 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney NSW
Friday, July 14 – Perth Concert Hall, Perth WA (SOLD OUT)
Saturday, July 15 – Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide SA
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
