Bears in Trees are a rising act from South London. The band’s debut studio album ‘and everybody else smiled back’ drops November 19 via Counter Intuitive Records.
Described by the band as a concept album, ‘and everyone else smiled back’ is a story. It’s about walking through college house parties as the world is ending around you and then, the day after, the everlasting love you feel as the lights are fading in your energy-saving bulbs.
The album deals with themes of first-time independence, sexual and emotional trauma, and picking your friends up in the aftermath. The best – and worst – day of your life always has a day after. Dare I say we have a 2021 ‘Perks Of Being A Wallflower’?
We had the amazing opportunity of sitting down with guitarist Nicholas Peters to chat about Bears in Trees’s latest single “Great Heights”, the upcoming album ‘and everybody else smiled back’, and some personal aspects of the band and their music.
Check out the interview below! Click HERE to keep up with Bears in Trees on social media.
What was your motivation for writing and recording “Great Heights”?
I think Great Heights is the song most like the kind of stuff we grew up listening to – fast, pop-punky, pretty simple and straight up from the start. Lyrically I started writing it while I was living on a blow-up mattress on the floor of my friend’s flat. It all came together pretty naturally; we kept a massive folder of lyric ideas for the studio and whenever we caught a vibe we liked we’d go into the folder and see what lyrics fit. So that was that.
You described your upcoming album as a concept album that creates a story. This story is “about walking through college house parties as the world is ending around you and then, the day after, the everlasting love you feel as the lights are fading in your energy-saving bulbs.” What things did you all go through/are still going through during your early adult years that inspired the album?
I guess graduating uni is the big one that comes up. We were always told by people that uni is the best time of your life/you make your best friends at university and even though we all had some wonderful times, we never really felt at home until we were back with one another. Being away and in that environment for three/four years can be incredibly draining. You pretty much skip out on months’ worth of your friends lives at a time, which means when you hang out again it can be hard to assess what level everyone is at. It’s still all love, but you need to piece it back together.
Which track from the upcoming record is the most meaningful to you and why?
Cut Corners on Short Walks. The bridge is about Iain trying to process a sexual assault. The first time I heard it I started crying.
What were some of the challenges you faced while you were writing and recording this record?
I guess there’s the obvious one, but that’s not fun to talk about…one of the hardest parts was deciding what not to put on the record. We wrote 22 tracks overall and cut it down to 13; so we each made a PowerPoint presentation for our ideal album and pitched it to the others. There were only six we agreed on unanimously. It was pretty tense after that.
Which track are you most excited to perform live?
Pretty much all of them! I’m excited to see which song people connect to most because I think that’s going to inform a lot of what we play live going forward. I guess what the people are most excited to hear is what we’re most excited to play.
Which track are you most nervous to perform live?
Klimt Painting is the one most likely to go wrong because we decided to put the end of each phrase in 3/4 time instead of 4/4. When we rehearsed it live to demo one of us forgot that part every single time. It’s not even that fancy, we just don’t music that hard very much.
What artists/bands were you listening to while you were creating this record?
I think this record showcases our folk influences most – we were listening to more Bon Iver and Slaughter Beach, Dog while writing this and that definitely bled into the recording process.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with your fans and All Punked Up readers?
Absolutely! Mossy Cobblestone is the best Minecraft block. That’s all.
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