Befriend The Bears – Before They Take Over

Befriend the Bears is an Austin-based seven piece virtuosic pairing of amorous tonal textures and feverishly erotic vocals which leaves the listener reaching for that post-coital cigarette. Their debut EP Before They Take Over is a multi-layered, eclectic work combining elements of indie-folk, funk, psychedelic, soul with a solid foundation of good old fashion rock’n’roll. The band’s ability to defy genre and stylistically spill out track after track of woven, burning storytelling that elegantly raises your emotional temperature.

Bringing in a horn section (Eduardo Ramirez-Sax, Marc Oran-Trumpet, Jason Morris-Trombone) to accompany fierce bass lines (Josh Arredondo), inventive-dynamic percussion (Behn Stuart) and siren like vocals (Tiana Berlin), they toss the salad of genres even more when the lead guitarist (Aaron Sekula) switches to the Korg for their Pink Floyd-esque song Red Lantern.

While the song Red Lantern is the last track of their debut EP Before They Take Over, it is truly one to really savor. Beginning with lyrics coded with quiet anger and soft vocals to match, the song then leads into a lyric free showcase of instrumentation solos. After some seriously intense bass chaos the song drops you off a high energy cliff and swiftly catches you with a soft emotional sax followed by sweet but mournful vocals.

The EPs second track “Stolen” exemplifies the delightfully haunting songwriting that has kept my finger on the repeat button. Memorable guitar licks, meticulous rhythm and vocal harmonies I could live in. BTB’s prowess in melody and lyric is unmistakable. Don’t miss this EP when it drops in January 2012.

Befriend The Bears – Stolen