How to Build an Ocean: Instructions – Bears in Trees
By Kaitlin Shaw
Read Kaitlin’s pre-release interview with Bears in Trees here
Bears in Trees are an English indie rock band from Croydon, South London. With George Berry on the drums, Iain Gillespie on vocals and bass, Callum Litchfield on vocals and piano, and Nick Peters on guitar, the band have carved their own niche in the indie music scene. The band tend to reject genre labels, preferring to call themselves a ‘dirtbag boyband’. With inspirations such as Fall Out Boy, The Wombats and The 1975, Bears in Trees are creating a music career that London artists only dream of. With three albums already under their belt, the band released their fourth album, How to Build an Ocean: Instructions, on the 26th of April. Their new album resonates with a longing nostalgia within us while simultaneously making me want to dance around my bedroom.
The album opens with ‘Your Favourite Coast’, an incredibly jolly tune, yet the lyrics set the scene for the melancholy of the album. The song hooks the listener with the relatable line “will everyone just be quiet for a second.” The album opens with a solo guitar before erupting with trumpets and a nostalgic, uplifting boy band-esque instrumental. Already, I wanted to get up and dance to the album. The song continues to bring a sentimental feeling with the juxtaposition of discussing making childlike paper aeroplanes while discussing genuine adulthood struggles, such as broken hearts.
A common theme in this album is the use of upbeat instrumentals and melodies with downcast lyrics.The second song on the album, ‘Things That Look Like Mistakes’, discusses wanting to forget about paying for a casket while simultaneously keeping a cheerful beat. The album looks beyond the scope of the indie music song, intertwining genres and creating a sense of innovation with the use of synths and big band instruments, such as trumpets. Bears in Trees step outside of the boxes created for them and truly earn themselves the title of a ‘dirtbag boyband’.
One of my favourite aspects of this album is the intellectual storytelling and lyricism. The album paints the picture of growing up in a city like London. With use of poetic questioning, such as “I never worked out how flowers bloomed so peacefully” in ‘Injured Crow’, they truly paint a picture of learning and growing, discussing life being full of moments passing with nothing truly lasting. ‘Injured Crow’ stood out to me the most– the chorus resonates with a classic boy band chorus with a message of moving on that speaks to the hearts of the listeners.
Bears in Trees perfectly captures the emotions they are exploring in their lyrics. The singers sing the lyrics as if they are feeling every emotion in their hearts. For example, in ‘Hot Chocolate’, there is a deep sense of anger within the synth rock song. Using lyrics such as “If you never call it heartbreak, how can you be heartbroken?”, you can hear the confusion and anger and sadness in not only the vocals, but the instruments also. In ‘We Don’t Speak Anymore’, they perfectly portray the feeling of heartbreak. Using a strong and steady beat throughout the song that doesn’t drop until the very end, they simulate the feeling of waiting for something and then feeling a sense of release. They invite the listener to feel a sense of longing, sadness and anxiety throughout the song until the end, when they come to terms with their emotions.
The impact of How to Build an Ocean: Instructions left me feeling both emotionally seen and uplifted. The lyrics dance between deeply on the nose and poetic, creating a perfect sense of intellectual understanding and personal connection. The songs flow perfectly through happy and sad, inviting me to get up and dance and to sit down and contemplate the woes of growing up. Bears in Trees are redefining every genre, from rock, synth, indie, and pop, they are cobbling their own path in music. This album is 37 minutes long, making it easily digestible and an enjoyable listen. I couldn’t recommend this album enough.