My God, it’s been so long since I’ve heard an EP that feels like home.
Bears In Trees have produced something that feels like post-rain liquid-sunshine. With only 4 songs on the EP they have managed to create something so succinctly hopeful and bright that we could only call it a game-changer.
Every aspect of Keep Me Safe is a step up from their previous material- the production, the lyrics and even the use of both Iain and Callum’s voices. It feels like the band have finally broken through any previous barriers and are really showing us what they’re made of.
Highlights of the EP include It Gets Better and Ibuprofen; songs that emanate resolution and comfort in hard times. The references in Laugh/Cry to the band’s previous material creates an emotional end to the EP that will for sure prove to be beloved to the band’s fans.
The only thing that irked me about this EP was the length. As soon as they start to really entice me into their energy I am dropped into the melancholy intro of Laugh/Cry and am expected to have connected fast enough to experience the song as it was intended to? There could have been huge potential with another wavy electric guitar-lead song between Seaside and Ibuprofen, really emphasising the power of Laugh / Cry… It’s hard to pick a favourite with only 4 options.
Bears In Trees have shown through their determination and growth that they’re more than loveable. The band that some thought were too quirky and fun to take seriously have proved everyone wrong- producing an EP that’s cheeky, emotional and full of love.
The EP isn’t the perfect Bears In Trees release, but it leaves them somewhere to progress to. What could be next? I, for one, want to know…
Rating
Bears In Trees’ Keep Me Safe EP is out now.
