Bears in Trees is a group from South London, UK who have that indie pop sound that we’ve fallen in love with here at Punkaganda Press. With a sound that is reminiscent of The Wombats, Bears in Trees' newest single, “Doing This Again!” is the perfect track for blasting in the car with your besties or jamming to as you get ready for your day. Something about their sound is so energizing, and this new song is among the most hype of their tracks I’ve heard. Let’s dive in on some things about “Doing This Again!” to get excited about.
Although this new track features jumpy-sounding guitar and a happy tune, “Doing This Again!” has some seriously relatable lyrics to anyone dealing with burnout, depression, and anxiety. The feeling of “ugh, another day of this” is definitely something that I’ve known well through the years, as I’m sure a lot of others have as well after going through all the craziness of 2019 to, well, now. I related so much with the “I hope to be __” lines and connected so deeply to the feeling of trying to be someone who is seen as successful, kind, and on top of things. I felt those lines especially thinking of those moments that you try so hard to paint a picture of who you want to be and how to come across to other people, despite your intense desire to just crawl back into bed. It’s obvious that they have been there before and I feel like listeners will feel very seen and heard by the lyrics. I know I did.
Musically, along with an upbeat feel, “Doing This Again!” includes periods of spoken word, an electronic-sounding intro, bass-heavy parts to make space for the lyrics, and guitars to pull it all together. This song’s instrumentation feels so intentional and seamless, building upon verses to come into a crescendo that feels like the artists are maybe coming to a point of overwhelm or even madness as the song progresses. This feeling pushes the lyrics forward even more, with the stress of being someone important and put together becomes more and more stressful in our lives along with everything else we have to do. Bears in Trees is truly amazing at creating a feel of what they are trying to communicate through their lyrics, and even though the sound is happy, you still walk away FEELING the lyrics they wrote.
A similar, but different feel from “Kind Love”, this new track is one that I feel will bring Bears in Trees a lot of deserved attention. I don’t think there are enough songs out there about the issues that we go through as a society in the middle of a pandemic and just learning how to simply survive through all of this. Because of the upbeat feel I think of the instrumental part of this track as almost an allegory of how we’re “supposed” to carry ourselves, happy and carefree, when in reality we’re telling ourselves all the things we need to do to be liked and accepted, trying to get to a point where we aren’t trying so hard to be something that’s socially accepted. When I listen to this song next to “Kind Love”, I really feel the same wants and needs as what I’m seeing on social media these days – a desire to feel accepted for who I am, and yet to be productive, charming, a go-getting, and just…okay, even though maybe we have to fake it for a while longer. Maybe this is what Bears in Trees thought as they wrote this track or maybe it isn’t, but either way I GET something when I listen to their music. I FEEL something with their lyrics or even just with pausing at their spoken word parts and listening to what they are trying to emphasize. In my opinion, that’s why art exists in the first place – to make us feel something. These guys get it.
I recommend this track for anyone who is looking for new music, no matter which genre you’re into. I think that everyone can gain something from listening, even if it is just listening to the upbeat sounds. I love that this song gives the listener something, no matter which level you listen to it. I wish more songs had that level of versatility but with the ability to still be catchy and have a sound that’s also suitable for the radio. If you listen to “indie pop” at any level, I can guarantee that “Doing This Again!” will leave you saying “doing this again!” as you press the play button for the 50th time that day.
