wojtek the bear - some states

BBC Scotland programme TUNE available on the iPlayer now. The clip is of The LaFontaines singer Kerr Okan talking about the video I made for Wojtek the Bear single ‘Tonic Youth’ earlier this year.

Taken from the record 'Old Names for New Shapes' Released on Scottish Fiction Records, November 2019.

Glasgow four-piece wojtek the bear have released their new single ‘tonic youth’.The track is the first of four singles being released by wojtek the bear during 2019, which will be collected on a limited edition 10” vinyl in the autumn. ‘tonic youth’ is a blissful refreshing can of indie pop brimming with sugary melodies, lush harmonies and vibrant instrumentation. This dreamy number chimes with radiant guitars, a pulsing bassline and a peppy beat. The track majestically floats along the buoyant rhythmic foundation while the smooth vocals coo behind a graceful string melody. These guys have fleshed out one beautiful track that glimmers with sun kissed vibes while drifting delicately on a laid back tone of ecstasy. Of the track, lead singer Tam Killean reveals; “When I first moved into Glasgow in my early 20’s I quickly encountered people at parties I’d never been exposed to before; kids who’d never worked a day in their life, spent their summers in Val-d’Isére or Biarritz and all seemed to have fucking ponies. This song is about how initially on coming into contact with them I had a bit of a crisis of confidence, thinking that I’d wasted my life by just getting absolutely smashed from the age of 15 onwards.”

"strong suit" is the third single taken from wojtek the bear's debut album, "a talent for being unreasonable" which was released digitally and on limited edition blue vinyl on scottish fiction records on 25th may 2018.

www.krisboyle.co.uk Signed to the excellent Scottish Fiction Records, Glaswegian four-piece, Wojtek The Bear, are set to release their debut album, A Talent For Being Unreasonable in May. This the first single taken from the album is titled - 'Made Out Of Maps.' The track is lead singer, Tam Killean’s musing on being stuck in a dysfunctional relationship, an isolating process of repetition, both hanging onto a dream that things could get better, when you both really know it won’t. Musically, the fact the band cite American Football (the band not the sport) as an influence isn’t any great surprise, as they tap into a same vein of literate, intelligent emo-pop. They also nod to more classic Scottish indie references from Idlewild to Teenage Fanclub, as jangling guitars are cut through with impassioned vocals and powerful driving drum-beats. The accompanying video is a sepia tinged affair, tapping into the song’s gentle nostalgia for the way things were. The band performing on a cactus adorned stage as people tackle board games and frames of pool barely offering the band even a cursory glance. Despite the self-deprecation of the album title, there’s a talent to Wojtek The Bear that stretches far beyond just being unreasonable.