A Sonically massive and Soulful Rock Single from bear Witness
- R.A.G.
- 30 minutes ago
- 6 min read
The latest single from Bear Witness brings out a heavy-handed and soulful alternative rock approach that delivers righteous and powerful guitar work, along with robust vocals that just hit hard exactly where they need to, displaying loads of swagger and just the right kind of attitude to get you hooked.
What's really awesome about this track is that it's got a heavy-handed edginess to it, but it also has a lot of raw emotion that's often reminiscent of a live performance, in a sense.
Everything about this song is kind of in your face. There's no turning away from it, there's no looking back. The guitar tone is sonically massive, hitting with a boisterous presence, sick riffs that also have sold to them, and it all comes together perfectly.
"Katarina" is the track that also gives you a lot of intensity, not just in the performances, but also lyrically.
The lyrics hit just as hard as the instruments do, and it feels like a track about being taken back by someone. Not exactly being smitten, per se, but more feeling a lust for someone in a physical but also an emotional sense of the word.
It's about feeling a bit of an intense range of emotions simply by being around somebody.
This is broken down into a lot of rawness in terms of how the lyrics are portrayed, and it paints a great picture, while pushing that emotional boundary.
It's a sentiment that a lot of us can relate to if we've been around long enough.
I definitely love the way the singer articulated those lyrics so that you really can understand what he's coming from. You connect with the track lyrically if you've been in that situation before.
Of course, that intensity and high energy are matched by everything else the band is doing. The vocals are performed with incredible energy, and I feel like a lot of the rest of the band feeds off each other during this track.
It's almost like they recorded the whole thing in one room at one time. That's why it feels almost like a live performance.
They put you in the moment with the song lyrically and with their electric performances.
The drumming on this track is killer. The drummer doesn't just sit in the pocket the whole time, but rather gives all kinds of cool fills, and helps deliver more of that electric energy that plenty of the rest of the band pushes off.
Now, there is a good level of ambient undertone flowing through the back end of the song as well. There's a vastness that shows face in certain sections that you catch on to.
For example, just before the bridge section, there are synths or keys that are almost bending in the background, giving everything a bit of a cinematic take.
Even better, as this is happening, a guitar solo ensues. The solo is another amazing display of soulful energy that comes through a lot throughout the track's unfolding.
From there through the end of the track, it gets a bit experimental, but really addictive. The guitar tones change a little bit, the vocalist starts singing all, and all these crazy high notes, and everything just hits a high point.
The choruses are gigantic, and you definitely get hooked on those, but the last chunk of the song is almost like the pinnacle of it all.
I definitely dig how this was put together, and you can tell this is a band that pays a lot of attention to arrangement and the aesthetic of how they want the song to feel when you listen to it.
All of this is totally nailed, and upon listening to the track, I wanted to talk with the band to find out what the song is actually about, exactly.
Of course, I also wanted to know what may be coming up next and who their influences are, simply because you can hear a ton of them throughout the course of this one song Alone.
So, while you dive into this banger of a soulful alt-rock soiree, have a read-through of our interview with Bear Witness below.
Where did this song come from and what was it about?
This track was written over the course of a couple of years, with the verse coming first and the chorus taking a lot longer to figure out - there was a lot of banging our heads against the wall trying to figure out what would work! The track is about
the hurricane of emotions that come about when meeting someone who you instantly connect with - everything is elevated, feelings are more powerful, and the world seems more magnificent while simultaneously more off-balance than ever before. You are forced to challenge yourself, face fears that may be holding you back, and face your own views on life and how you live it. Areas that once felt out of reach and out of focus are all of a sudden locked into clarity. Almost as if sailing a ship across the ocean, you are surrounded by the excitement and fear of the unknown, while innately understanding that your journey is being guided by the stars.
I am hearing a few different styles on this single. Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
We love a large mix of artists! In terms of modern rock, Highly Suspect, Nothing But Thieves, and Bring Me The Horizon are our favourites. We also love Incubus, Jeff Buckley, and Pearl Jam from the 90s. Outside of rock we love all sort of artists, Frank Ocean and The Weeknd play a large part in how we try to incorporate outside influences into our production. Alongside soul artists such as James Brown and Seal.
Are you performing live right now?
We are! We recently played the Camden Assembly to launch the track in London. We will also be hitting up Brighton and London again at some point in Summer so watch this space!
How did this all start for you as a band?
The band was a project between myself (Matt) and my brother (Alex). We have always played music together and over COVID we came across a style that we wanted to pursue more seriously - combining soul driven 90s influenced rock with modern production and genres.
Did you work with a producer on this release, or was this all you?
We set up the main production of the track ourselves, and then worked with our good friend producer valentines.j to add all of his magic over the top - all of the amazing electronic elements and textures are him! Alongside some very cool vocal production!
What's next for you? Working on more new releases?
We have another track that we are working on currently, we are hoping to have that out in the summer with a final big single later in the year! We also have plans to release some acoustic and lo fi versions of songs to keep things interesting.
What kind of advice would you give to other up and coming bands or artists trying to get heard?
In all honesty that is the golden question that very few have an answer to! Getting heard is very difficult, all we can say is be persistent and always remember that you write and play music because you love it and have something to share with the world that you can’t find anywhere else other than in yourself. You have a unique voice that deserves to be heard - and there will be many that don’t understand that, but just keep going
What would you say people can expect to hear on this track?
I would say expect a bouncy energetic rock song that has production you may not hear so often in rock. We wanted to push the boundaries of what a typical rock single could be, without detracting from the amazing energy that only rock can deliver. We’ve played it live a couple of times since release and the crowd response has been fantastic!
Before we go, what would you want to express to fans of the music?
Just a massive, massive thank you. We put so much time and energy into making the music, finding every little moment we can to think about how we can make the song as good as it can possibly be. There’s so much overthinking and self doubt in the songwriting process, especially when you’re trying to create tracks that really leave a lasting impact. When we get to the point of releasing a track sometimes it can lose the excitement a little as we’ve listened to it so much - but the support and positive messages from everyone who has come to a show, listened, or shared the music really makes it all worth it. That’s all we can say really - thank you
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