Introducing #153 - wojtek the bear
Let us introduce you to Glasgow folk-rockers wojtek the bear, who just released their recent single ‘one thing’s for certain, and who took a moment to talk us through their music.
Hey guys, how are you? Thanks for answering our questions, can you introduce yourselves?
Hello! We are wojtek the bear, an indie-pop 5 piece from Glasgow. We consist of Scott (drums) Paul (bass) Becky (violin & vocals) Chuck (guitar) and Tam (guitar & vocals).
We’ve been playing together since 2016 and have to date released 1 album and 2 EP’s. Our new album “heaven by the back door” is due for release on Last Night from Glasgow on 16th July.
Your track ‘One Things For Certain’ is out now - can you tell us what it is about?
It’s a song about self-sabotage really. How it seems like at times we can all sort of sweep the legs from under ourselves without even realising we’re doing it or indeed why it keeps happening. Like most of our songs it’s got quite a depressing theme set a relatively bright/major soundtrack so it’s not as grim as it sounds I promise!
How did you get together and start playing as a band?
What are the key influences when it comes to your sound?
Everything we try and write has to have a hook, as we’re essentially trying to write songs that get stuck in people’s heads without making them hate us. So we’re aiming for that midpoint somewhere between The Ronettes and The Crazy Frog.
How would you describe your music to someone who’s never listened to it before?
On our press releases it normally says “smart casual indie-pop” which is helpfully meaningless and in no way answers your question! :D We’ve been compared in the past to bands like Belle & Sebastian and Orange Juice and we probably sit somewhere around there. Melodic Scottish indie pop is probably the short answer to that question…
Finally, what can we expect from you as the year progresses?
The new album is released on vinyl on 16th July and after that we’ve got plans to play in as many sweaty venues across the UK as will have us! After 18 months of being stuck in the house with no gigs to play we’re absolute raring to go!