After the tribal percussion lures you into Bear Beat’s latest single, Shadow of the Heart, the disquietness of the darkly ethereal instrumentation starts to breed around the old-school soul vocals, setting a tone of tension and anxiety that grips the soul with unflinching volition. There’s a palpable rawness in the production, becoming a conduit for the jarring emotions relayed through the darkwave mix. Refusing to lean too heavily into one genre, Bear Beat lets the hauntings of the psyche dictate the progressions within this cinematic tour de force, which transitions into strobing synths that reminisce with Arab Strap’s Turning of Our Bones.
Not one to fall in line with trends, the anonymous UK-based producer fuses house, EDM, techno, drum and bass, trance, hip-hop, pop, trap, and dubstep into his expansive sonic palette that shifts between hypnotic orchestrations and entrancingly unpredictable structures. Whether he’s underpinning his tracks with political commentary, comedy or intimate candour, you can always rest assured he’s going to make an affecting impact.
With support from Mystic Sons, RGM, Plastic Magazine, Flex, Fame Magazine, and airplay from BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio in both the UK and US, Bear Beat’s name is undoubtedly one you’ll hear for years to come.
Stream Shadow of the Heart on SoundCloud and Spotify now.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
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