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
High Society
Bear Hands Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Alright, little louder now
Hey!
Lookin' forward from center stage to Graduation Day
Time to get the future started
What we leave, what we take with us
No matter what, it's somethin' we're part of
We learned to fly together
I just hope the rest of my life
Would feel as good as my
High School Musical
Who says we have to let it go?
It's the best part we've ever known
Step into the future, we'll hold on to
High School Musical
Let's celebrate where we come from
With friends who've been there all along
Just like our high school, high school musical
Improvisation without a script, no one's written it
And now we have the chance to
Someday we'll be lookin' back, memories we'll had
All the songs that we lived through
The best of times
So why leave them behind?
Why can't the rest of my life
Be like my
High School Musical
Who says we have to let it go?
It's the best part we've ever known
Step into the future, we'll hold on to
High School Musical
Let's celebrate where we come from
With friends who've been there all along
That's right
Now we finally realize who we are, it just took some time
We have to live and to learn to see the truth
(Learn to see the truth)
Nothing's ever impossible, into the future we all free fall
But forever we'll always have high school
Time to party now, celebrate
'Cause the world's one big stage
And any part you want, it can be yours
Everybody sing, yeah!
And the show's never gonna close
It's what it got us here, we know
High School lives on forever more
High School, high school musical
High School Musical
Who says we have to let it go?
It's the best part we've ever known
Step into the future we'll hold on to
High School Musical
Let's celebrate where we come from
With friends who've been there all along
Oh yeah, I wish my life could feel like a
High School Musical
Who says we have to let it go?
It's the best part we've ever known
Step into the future, we'll hold on to
High School Musical
Let's celebrate where we come from
All together makes it better
Memories that'll last forever
I want the rest of my life to feel just like a
High School Musical
The song "High Society" by Bear Hands is an ode to the nostalgia and sentimentality of looking back on one's high school years. The lyrics are a reflection on the experiences shared in high school, the bonds formed with friends, and the emotional weight of leaving it all behind. The song opens with the singer looking forward to graduation day, but also acknowledging the bittersweet reality of leaving behind the memories and relationships formed in high school.
The chorus is a celebration of the importance of high school and the idea that it continues to shape who we are as we move forward in life. The repetition of the phrase "High School Musical" is a reference to the popular Disney film franchise that was a cultural phenomenon in the early 2000s. The lyrics suggest that these films captured the essence of what was special about high school, and that the memories and friendships formed during this time are something worth holding onto.
The song concludes with a call to celebrate the present and the future, and embrace the idea that life is one big stage where anything is possible. The sentiment of the song is ultimately one of hopefulness and a desire to hold onto the positive memories of high school, even as we move into the next chapter of our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Lookin' forward from center stage to Graduation Day
Anticipating the future from where we stand now, like looking from the center of a stage towards the day of graduation.
Time to get the future started
It is time to begin preparing for the future and moving forward.
What we leave, what we take with us
No matter what, it's somethin' we're part of
We will always have a connection to what we leave behind and what we take with us, no matter what happens.
We learned to fly together
Side by side
We gained experience and grew together, working together in harmony.
I just hope the rest of my life
Would feel as good as my
High School Musical
I desire for my future experiences to be as memorable and enjoyable as my high school musical experience.
Who says we have to let it go?
It's the best part we've ever known
Step into the future, we'll hold on to
High School Musical
Why should we have to forget the best part of our lives? We will carry our high school musical memories with us as we move forward into the future.
Let's celebrate where we come from
With friends who've been there all along
We should cherish and honor our roots and good friends who have always been with us throughout our journey.
Improvisation without a script, no one's written it
And now we have the chance to
Someday we'll be lookin' back, memories we'll had
All the songs that we lived through
We have the opportunity to create our own story and make memories that we will look back on in the future, just like the songs from our high school musical.
So why leave them behind?
Why can't the rest of my life
Be like my
High School Musical
We shouldn't forget our happy memories and want our lives to always feel the way they did during our high school musical experience.
Now we finally realize who we are, it just took some time
We have to live and to learn to see the truth
(Learn to see the truth)
Nothing's ever impossible, into the future we all free fall
But forever we'll always have high school
We may have taken a while to understand ourselves, but we should keep learning and exploring. The future may be uncertain, but we will always have our high school memories to cherish.
Time to party now, celebrate
'Cause the world's one big stage
And any part you want, it can be yours
Everybody sing, yeah!
We should celebrate and enjoy the world, as it's full of opportunities and endless possibilities. Everyone should sing and have fun together.
And the show's never gonna close
It's what it got us here, we know
High School lives on forever more
High School, high school musical
Our high school musical experience will stay with us forever as it played an important role in shaping us into who we have become.
All together makes it better
Memories that'll last forever
I want the rest of my life to feel just like a
High School Musical
We can create stronger memories when we are together with our friends. We wish to replicate our high school musical experience for the rest of our lives.
Contributed by Adalyn L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Olivia
I wish this song was longer!
Florencia Castro Dassen
love this album <3
Ginger Blackwell
Soooo good in concert!
Matthew McGinnis
Wow. It must have taken forever to put this video together. Awesome song as well.
Bigsteve521
You guys need to go on tour in KC or STL or any where in the Midwest so I can see you. You are freaking sweet. I listen to this album twice a day, everyday. Its an incredible piece of work and a shame you aren't heard by more people
MrDan1d
These guys would make an amazing colab with Foster the people
Abigail
Saw these guys live last night and they ROCKED Hard
KillaDwarfz
me too best concert
Sarah DeFreitas
sickest band out there right now
Jon Zimmerman
exactly like the strokes this band ahead of their time no cap