I am super excited to finally cross Bear Hands off of my bucketlist when they make a stop at The Fine Line on Sunday, March 15th.
Four albums and 13 years into its career, Bear Hands has mastered the art of the unfamiliar, flouting trends and genres to capture the ephemeral with each new project. Fake Tunes, the band’s fourth full-length album, ventures further into uncharted territory: It’s a document of coming to terms with straddling the desire to stay young and the embrace of a slower life, all while navigating a present that looks nothing as expected.
Fake Tunes is an album of firsts for Bear Hands, comprised of vocalist Dylan, bassist Val Loper, and drummer TJ Orscher. It marks the group’s first album recorded in Los Angeles, as well as its first since the departure of founding member and guitarist Ted Feldman. Produced by Chris Chu of POP ETC, Fake Tunes is both playful and searing, a collection of electro-pop introspection girded by hip-hop textures and psychedelic bones. Together, it’s the sound of a band coming full circle, one that sees Bear Hands both returning to its roots and redefining itself for the future.
Fake Tunes sees Bear Hands exploring new sounds and new themes with fresh wit and vulnerability. “Reptilians,” for example, is a surreal, synth-layered track inspired by Rau’s fascination with conspiracy theories that embraces smokey hip-hop production and lilting rhythms. Single “Back Seat Driver (Spirit Guide),” meanwhile, is lo-fi anthem steeped in reverberating synth loops, while “Pill Hill” is a psychedelic reckoning with sobriety lead by Orscher’s muscular combination of live and programmed drums. Anchoring the album’s far-flung sounds is Rau’s sharp, incisive songwriting, tackling the challenges of relationships, dependence, acceptance, and uncertainty.
Kicking the night off will be IRONTOM. All meaty, beaty, big and bouncy, IRONTOM set themselves apart from the pack by bringing pop clarity to a blend of ‘70s-inspired rock and twisted electronics. They introduced themselves with lead single “Be Bold Like Elijah,” from their 2017 debut album Partners, which was produced by AWOLNATION’s Aaron Bruno, and which influential music outlet Buzzbands praised as “a nod to 1970s shredders and latter-day electro-rockers.”
Tickets are still available HERE!
Bear Hands 2020 Spring North American Tour Dates
March 4 – Portland, ME – Port City Music Hall
March 5 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
March 6 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club AE
March 7 – Buffalo, NY – Mohawk Place
March 8 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
March 10 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverfront Live
March 11 – Detroit, MI – The Shelter
March 12 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean
March 13 – St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway
March 14 – Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck
March 15 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
March 17 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall
March 18 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Urban Lounge
March 20 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
March 21 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
March 23 – Sacramento, CA – Holy Diver
March 24 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
March 25 – Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy Theatre
March 27 – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar
March 28 – Scottsdale, AZ – Pub Rock Live
March 30 – Dallas, TX – The Cambridge Room at House of Blues
March 31 – Austin, TX – The Parish
April 1 – Houston, TX – The Studio at Warehouse Live
April 3 – Orlando, FL – The Social
April 4 – Jacksonville, FL – Jack Rabbits
April 5 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
April 7 – Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge
April 8 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre
April 10 – Washington D.C. – U Street Music Hall
April 11 – Brooklyn, NY – Rough Trade
April 12 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
