13th Floor New Song Of The Day: Bearhat – Midnight Sun

With a pounding beat and an urgent vocal from Will Saunders, Bearhat’s brand new tune Midnight Sun should make your Waitangi Day a rocker.

And…to make things even better, the long dormant trio have come out of hibernation to released a full length album due out February 22nd. It’s called Get It Out and Bearhat will play two shows in Auckland around the release date. Details are in the record copy blurb:

Equal parts MC5 and the British post-punk revival of the early 2000s, the group have been around for the better part of almost ten years however external commitments left the band drifting out towards the ether. Jobs, other bands, marriages… you know… those kinds of things that get in the way of being a rock band.

Their hibernation (the first bear joke of the media release. They’re trying to avoid them) after two years of solid recording and performing has only led to a hungrier group to emerge not content with keeping what they’ve hoarded to themselves anymore. Calling the album Get It Out is pretty apt: the assortment of recordings have sat gestating for almost six years awaiting a time in everyone’s life when they can give the collection the attention it deserves. Like a good whiskey or a ripe cheese, to quote vocalist/guitarist Will Saunders (The Lowest Fidelity, The Quick and The Dead), the delay has only lead to an ageing process, distilling these garage rock tracks into their most potent, consumable form.

Throughout the album, there is an intrinsic sense of self-discovery Saunders explores alongside a trusty rhythm section of drummer Brad Vickers (These Four Walls) and bassist Tyler Tantin Burke (Calamity Jam). Though based on personal elements, there are themes that listeners can easily identify with.

Perhaps the biggest thread throughout the album is our own idea of existence; are we really just awakening from a long sleepwalk that we’ve tricked ourselves into believing is what “existence” is? Are we, in fact, living up to our true potential or are we just all lucidly dreaming?

If those themes seem rather heavy for you, rest assured that the affable, alcohol swilled melodies throughout Get It Out don’t allow you too much time to overthink – and instead invite the listener to dance their existential dread away instead.

See Bearhat live (while you can):
AUCKLAND: February 21st – Backbeat, (with Bad Jones & Royal Falcon)
AUCKLAND: February 23rd – Galatos (supporting These Four Walls)