Only a few years had gone by since they broke into the music scene, yet Sydney based quintet Boy & Bear have been garnering attention lately in their native Australia. With the release of their debut album Moonfire in 2011, they went on to grab a couple of awards in the country. Following the string of success, they launched their sophomore album, Harlequin Dream in August last year which placed first in the Australian charts.
As a follow-up to their debut album, Moonfire, the band's latest release partially remains true to their indie-folk roots. Instead of permanently residing in the same circle, the group had opted to put a bunch of genres into a blender which resulted in a mixture of folk, pop, indie and rock. Though rock does not entirely prevail in the album, the opening track, Southern Sun strongly emits the 1970s California rock vibe. It's a long-term infectious disease that gradually violates your mind, and before you know it, you'll be struggling to locate the repeat button.
Once you have made your way down to the the third track, Harlequin Dream, it becomes increasingly obvious that the folk feel is rather subtle while dreamy pop is the dominating theme in this album. This doesn't come as a surprise if you're into other indie bands from the country. The dreamy vibe is their current trend. Regardless of that, their new direction isn't a bad idea; it is just as enjoyable as their debut but I would have liked to see them incorporate more of their initial sounds into this album.
Southern Sun and Harlequin Dream are probably the most well-received songs in this album, however their other mid-tempo tracks, A Moment's Grace and End of the Line would most likely stick in the long run. Both tracks seem to be songs that came out from their first album or from a Mumford and Sons record.
Listen to Harlequin Dream below:
As a follow-up to their debut album, Moonfire, the band's latest release partially remains true to their indie-folk roots. Instead of permanently residing in the same circle, the group had opted to put a bunch of genres into a blender which resulted in a mixture of folk, pop, indie and rock. Though rock does not entirely prevail in the album, the opening track, Southern Sun strongly emits the 1970s California rock vibe. It's a long-term infectious disease that gradually violates your mind, and before you know it, you'll be struggling to locate the repeat button.
Once you have made your way down to the the third track, Harlequin Dream, it becomes increasingly obvious that the folk feel is rather subtle while dreamy pop is the dominating theme in this album. This doesn't come as a surprise if you're into other indie bands from the country. The dreamy vibe is their current trend. Regardless of that, their new direction isn't a bad idea; it is just as enjoyable as their debut but I would have liked to see them incorporate more of their initial sounds into this album.
Southern Sun and Harlequin Dream are probably the most well-received songs in this album, however their other mid-tempo tracks, A Moment's Grace and End of the Line would most likely stick in the long run. Both tracks seem to be songs that came out from their first album or from a Mumford and Sons record.
Listen to Harlequin Dream below:
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