Together, these contradictory characters have combined their strengths to deliver their sophomore album Distraction – a collection in which their love of pop hooks is filtered cohesively through an eclectic collection of genre elements ranging from psychedelic to punk. “Giants” is perhaps the track that best encapsulates everything that makes Bear Hands special, as it flows from a manic verse full of hollered stream-of-consciousness lyrics into an infectious chorus, in which the universal emotion of “I’m loving you more” is set to a cascading riff.
Rau and Feldman first met as film students at Connecticut’s Wesleyan University, an institution that has become well known for turning out a steady stream of talented musicians due to its focus on the arts. They became fast friends, bonding over a pot brownie and a shared taste in music. However, as Feldman was already in another band at the time, it would be several months before the two would begin to collaborate musically.
After going through an unpleasant breakup, Dylan discovered that his ex-girlfriend had taken up with one of Ted’s bandmates. When he found out that the band had also been offered a record deal, Dylan decided that they would not ride off into the sunset with both his ex-girlfriend and the guitarist he wanted to join forces with. “I said, ‘this isn’t how I’m going to go down.’ I confronted Ted and said, ‘Alright, that’s it – we’re starting a band!’” Once Ted had been convinced to abandon his previous band and form a new one with Dylan, it was time to complete the lineup.
Rau quickly identified the ideal rhythm section for his new band: bassist Val Loper and drummer TJ Orscher of Glastonbury, CT’s In Pieces. “TJ was definitely one of the best drummers in the area,” explains Rau. “I remember Val playing a show at my school, and him spinning around really, really fast and getting his bass stuck in the ground, and then he tripped over it and knocked over a PA speaker. It was super boss.”
Knowing that he’d need to recruit them as a team, Rau used some mini-Machiavellian tricks to convince each member that the other was already interested. Once they’d come around to the idea, the first session together displayed an almost telepathic connection. As Feldman remembers: “Everyone was pretty surprised at how easily it came together. We put four songs together in the first two rehearsals. In retrospect, it was our honeymoon period.”
After Rau’s master plan came together (“You’ve got to poach people from other bands – you scout them and pick people off like weak antelope”), Bear Hands signed to indie label Cantora Records. Bear Hands’ debut album Burning Bush Supper Club was released in 2010, but their progress faltered due to legal complications and daily distractions. This, combined with some inspiration from Jonathan Lethem’s novel Chronic City, led to the band naming their new album Distraction. “It’s about losing touch with reality,” states Rau. “Many things distract us: doing drugs; drinking; reality television; good food; the Internet.”
Frustrated by this protracted hiatus, Bear Hands decided to take the initiative and fund the making of Distraction themselves. Working on a tight budget meant that Feldman, already the director of the band’s videos, would also take the role of producer, with engineering assistance courtesy of their friends Yale Yng-Wong and Jake Aron. To record the drums and the basic tracks, they headed to Feldman’s parents’ house, which was transformed into a makeshift studio for a week. “Luckily my parents weren’t there because they probably would’ve freaked out. It looked awesome to me, but maybe not their style,” laughs Feldman. Overdubs and vocals were completed at Yng-Wong’s studio, Doctor Wu’s, in Brooklyn.
Numerous songs on the album are based on real life experiences. “Agora” addresses Rau’s experiences with agoraphobia. “Mixed with a couple of other mental health issues, it was pretty bad,” he admits. “I still have trouble and I have to force myself to leave the house. Socializing and exercise are the two things that I’m trying to work on improving. Sometimes I have little interest in either.”
Another common theme is failing romance. "Thought Wrong" is based upon a time when two of the band members were simultaneously involved in intense break-ups, while "Vile Iowa" reflects Rau’s experiences visiting his ex-girlfriend’s family – conservative, teetotaller Mormons. “I don’t think they really liked me and I don’t think they trusted me,” he sighs. “I have a history of dating girls from the Midwest whose families don’t like me. It’s a habit I need to get over.”
With character, creativity and pure songmanship in abundance, the global appeal of Distraction should ensure that Rau will have a new chance to broaden his horizons way beyond the Midwest. “We’ve always aimed to write pop songs because that’s just what we like, but we also like all sorts of different styles,” affirms Feldman. “There hasn’t been a huge paradigm shift in genres. I think it’s been an evolution of quality.”
Bear Hands is a post-punk/experimental/indie rock act hailing from Brooklyn, New York. Forming in 2006, the band consists of Dylan Rau, Ted Feldman, Val Loper and TJ Orscher.
www.bearhandsband.com
Bad Blood
Bear Hands Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Than marry you at sea
Swiftest current, darkest waves
We just fall asleep
And I would rather bury you
Than marry you at sea
Sharpest waters you can find
From here out to the East
That someone that you can be
That never had let us touch
Let you down easily
Buh-buh-buh bad bad bad blood
That someone that you can be
That never had let us touch
Let you down easily
Buh-buh-buh bad bad bad blood
I would rather bury you
Than marry you at sea
Sharpest waters you can find
From here out to the East
From here out to the Eastern border
States of Carolines
Somewhere warm you can go
And keep your head in line
That someone that you can be
That never had let us touch
Let you down easily
Buh-buh-buh bad bad bad blood
That someone that you can be
That never had let us touch
Let you down easily
Buh-buh-buh bad bad bad blood
I would rather bury you
Than marry you at sea
Swiftest current, darkest waves
We just fall asleep
The lyrics of Bear Hands's song "Bad Blood" convey a strong sense of conflicted emotions and mixed signals. The primary theme of the song appears to be a relationship that has gone sour, with the singer expressing a desire to end things in a particularly final and dramatic fashion by burying the other person rather than marrying them at sea. The imagery of the ocean and its dangers is used throughout the song to suggest the depth and complexity of the emotions involved, as well as the high stakes of the situation.
Despite the intensity of the language and imagery used, there is also a sense of resignation and acceptance present in the lyrics. The repeated refrain of "that someone that you can be / that never had let us touch / let you down easily / buh-buh-buh bad bad bad blood" suggests that there was once a sense of hope and potential in the relationship that has since been soured. The singer seems resigned to the fact that things cannot be salvaged, but is still grappling with the emotions involved.
Overall, "Bad Blood" is a powerful exploration of the complexities of human relationships, particularly those that have gone awry. The strong language and imagery used in the lyrics convey a sense of raw emotion and depth, and the repeated refrain adds an additional layer of complexity and ambiguity to the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I would rather bury you
I prefer your death than spending the rest of life with you
Than marry you at sea
I'd rather not be married to you even if we had the chance
Swiftest current, darkest waves
The strongest and most dangerous sea currents
We just fall asleep
We are indifferent to the power of the ocean and its dangers
And I would rather bury you
I reiterate that I want you dead
Than marry you at sea
I'd prefer death rather than getting married to you on a boat
Sharpest waters you can find
The most dangerous waters ever known
From here out to the East
From this spot all the way to the East coast
That someone that you can be
The type of person who is admired by everyone
That never had let us touch
That ideal person who seems out of reach
Let you down easily
Being rejected or disappointed nicely and considerately
Buh-buh-buh bad bad bad blood
But unfortunately things didn't go well
From here out to the Eastern border
From this point all the way to the Eastern boundary
States of Carolines
The US states of South Carolina and North Carolina
Somewhere warm you can go
A place with a pleasant climate where you can relocate to
And keep your head in line
A place where you can think clearly and make the right choices
I would rather bury you
Again, I emphasize that I don't want you alive
Than marry you at sea
Being married at sea is something I strongly object to
Swiftest current, darkest waves
The most treacherous sea conditions known to man
We just fall asleep
Indifferent to our surroundings, we have no regard for life or death
That someone that you can be
Once again, that perfect and ideal person we all aspire to become
That never had let us touch
That elusive and unattainable goal that we can only dream of
Let you down easily
In the end, that goal may turn out to be unachievable despite our best efforts
Buh-buh-buh bad bad bad blood
And that's when we are forced to face the bitter reality
Contributed by Charlie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.