Sydney band Boy & Bear have been steadily working away on the follow-up to their multi-award winning debut, 2010’s Moonfire, and now the folk rock five-piece are ready to raise the curtain on their new material.
Today the band have released ‘Southern Sun’, the first single from their forthcoming second album Harlequin Dream, (which you can hear above) demonstrating a blending of the powerful vocal harmonies and uplifting sounds that brought them to fame, while channelling the classic songsmithery of Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, and Fleetwood Mac.
“There’s something really magical in their songs,” says Boy & Bear’s chief songwriter Dave Hosking. “Hopefully something rubbed off.”
It would certain seem so from the aural evidence of ‘Southern Sun’. Beginning with a soothing intro of strings and plaintive acoustic guitar, it moves into a West Coast rock feel reminiscent of Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac as a cruising guitar is complemented by stings of electric guitar and warm organ playing. “Sharing some music from the 70s was a clear decision that we made… What we’ve made feels older and more rounded than the first record. It’s more pop, less folk.” – Killian Gavin, Boy & Bear
“Sharing some music from the 70s was a clear decision that we made,” says guitarist Killian Gavin of the new single. “What we’ve made feels older and more rounded than the first record. It’s more pop, less folk.”
The song’s catalyst lies in the inspiring sunset that filled the band’s view as they took to the stage for the 2013 Falls Festival, a sun-blissed tune filling the minds of Dave Hosking and drummer Tim Hart.
“We had these chords, and the melody was spitting out and Tim and I just started throwing out these lyrics,” recalls Hosking. “’Write them down, write them down’ we were shouting at each other. It was like having a blank canvas and we were just tossing things at it.”
‘Southern Sun’ heralds the way for Harlequin Dream, which Boy & Bear have been working on since October 2012, recording at Sydney’s Alberts studio. The record was co-produced by the five-piece and the legendary Wayne Connolly; the producer’s CV includes ARIA winning work for Josh Pyke and Youth Group, as well as records for You Am I and Something For Kate’s Paul Dempsey.
Giving Harlequin Dream it’s sun-kissed edge in the final stages was a mixing job by Phil Ek, who’s lent his skills to Seattle’s Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses.
Attendees to the sold-out Splendour In The Grass will likely be among the first to hear ‘Southern Sun’ and other new Boy & Bear material when they play the three day winter music festival this July, when they play on the opening Friday night, headlined by Mumford & Sons and TV On The Radio (view the full three-day lineup and dates here).
