Bear With Me are one of those Scandinavian acts that you know are going to feature in your headphones and on a million playlists now they are set to launch with the melancholic groove of debut single After Me.
Bear With Me is Vocalist/Keyboard/bassplayer Thorbjørn Kaas’ alter ego and after being part of the Danish Aarhus underground scene for a while he is finally ready to break ground with his own music.
The first single After Me is a highly danceable tune that draws on the chilled vibe of bands such as Röyksopp and other groups around the Norwegian Tellé label in the early 00’s. In addition to the steady beat of the song, it also carries a powerful sensibility and a pure vulnerability – the feeling that hits you right after you part from someone you used to be close with. Thorbjørn says about the song,
‘Even though it is hard to say goodbye and let go you can always hope that the person you were once close to can stay in your thoughts and still be a part of your life in the future. I would describe the song as both melancholic and hopeful. It’s an homage to any kind of close relation between people, but also an acknowledgement of how delicate and changeful such bonds can be.’
The track is driven by a catchy bassline and a strong beat, while Thorbjørns soft airy voice is carried along by a large carpet of floating synthesizers. All adding up to constitute a lounging chilled track that is equal amounts emotional and danceable.
Thorbjørn is half Norwegian, but his hometown is now Aarhus, Denmark. Here Bear With Me started on the floor in his bedroom – with a tiny synthesizer, a tiny drum machine and the tiniest soundcard available. Since then Thorbjørn has built a 5 piece band around him and started playing shows around Aarhus. The laptop has been substituted by a real studio and all the gear no longer fits in a toad bag. Now Bear With Me is ready to meet the world with the first official single.
As for the name Thorbjørn explains, ‘Bear With Me is about change, seeking answers and not taking things for granted. About coming to terms with our own sensibility and asking people to bear with us if we make mistakes as human beings. Because isn’t that what we do every day? Bear with our surroundings and the people we come in contact with? Despite our differences and disagreements we look for something in each other and hope for some kind of unification. Only when we are conscious regarding our own fragility, and show it in our actions, we can deal with others, and bear with them. Anyway that’s how I think about it.’