Bear's Den - 'Summer and Smoke'
The hype is real as Bears Den continue to tease their upcoming EP with latest single ‘Summer and Smoke’.
Ahead of their forthcoming ‘First Loves’ EP, duo Bears Den are back with the release of ‘Summer and Smoke’. Last year saw their massively praised fourth album ‘Blue Hours’ as well as an Apple Original soundtrack but the pair show no signs of slowing down with this single. Taking inspiration from Tennesse Williams’ gorgeous play of the same name, the track is a take on tragic love with reference to their own personal tales of rose-tinted passion and doomed romances that were never meant to be. It’s the second preview to be released ahead of the EP and beautifully continues the emotionally charged storytelling from ‘Evelyn’ which dropped last month.
As soon as the track opens, you are transported to the scene of a fire at dawn. The gentle plucking guitar line brings the image of glowing sparks being blown around the embers and the background piano firmly roots you into the moment. Andrew Davie’s vocals are soft and warm, but there is a tenacity behind his tone which becomes clearer as the verse goes on.
‘You came to me this morning with red eyes glowing, like my old pictures of you. And I love you in ways I find too complicated, I can’t take my eyes off you.’
These lyrics immediately bring to mind a moment in the play where John Buchanan, the male love interest, is talking to Alma, the female love interest, about her eyes and the way he is uncertain but passionate about her. He says to her:
‘I know your eyes and your voice are the two most beautiful things I have ever known-and also the warmest, although they don’t seem to be set in your body at all.’
The dynamic in the relationship is clear from the beginning. Davie, like Buchanan, is transfixed by this woman who is wholly different from himself and while he is perhaps frightened of the intensity behind her gaze, he cannot look away. Things shift into a different hue as the verse continues and rather than the fiery red, we move to a blue. The vocals on the blue line are noticeably more breathy and shallow and it's clear that passion and tension shown in the opening lines has dissipated.
As you head into the chorus, the chord progressions modulate as Davie asks ‘Wait, where do you go? Can’t I come too?’. There’s a quiet desperation behind both the delivery of these lyrics and the instrumentation from Kevin Jones. The tone of the guitar perfectly syncs up with Davie’s lamenting lyrics and you can really sense just how in tune these guys are with one another. Its worthwhile pointing out that to this point, there has not been any drum nor bass. The repeating guitar motif and fluidity of the piano strongly gives the track a sense of direction, all with a stunningly raw and acoustic feel. In the second verse, we return to the tumultuous relationship between the fiery red woman and the man illuminated in blue. The pair couldn’t be more opposite and the lyrics really lean into this polarity with lines like ‘The ocean breeze on lips bruised, the person you once knew fell into a fire’. They both fall victim to the strengths of the other; he is the one who falls into the flames and she is the one left bruised by the tidal waves. This is perhaps another mirror to what happens in the play where the two lovers take on the traits of the other and are left irreparably changed. This theme of being left scarred continues into the bridge section where we are presented the somewhat juxtaposing image of a house being burned down after a fire started in the bathroom. The duo are really stretching out the fire/water metaphor and we vividly can see how the relationship became engulfed by both. The end of the song has a wonderfully drawn out instrumental section that slowly fades out into nothingness, reminiscent of the way the fire that scorched the relationship went from a raving inferno to mere smoke at the end of the summer.
If this track is anything to go by, the EP which is set to release at the end of June, is sure to be a wild and emotional journey. Bears Den have announced the full tracklist, of which ‘Summer and Smoke’ is the penultimate number. The ending of the number leaves so much space and intrigue about how the EP will close but unfortunately, we won’t find out for a while yet how the story ends. Lucky fans will perhaps hear more at the highly anticipated and sold out Black Deer Festival in Kent. After a few shows around Europe once the EP is out, you can head to Standon Calling in July where they are set to feature alongside The Human League, Years and Years, Rick Astley and Scouting for Girls.
Words by Kirsty Ann Thomson
