Bear’s Den are back

Communion Music originators and indie folk luminaries return with the lead single from their new album. 

Bear’s Den have given us the first taste of their follow up to 2014’s fantastic album Islands with new single Auld Wives. Sonically it has all the hallmarks of their previous work, with a splash of synths thrown in for good measure but it is lyrically where the band continues to excel. Band member Andrew Davie has spoken candidly of the inspiration for the song; his family background, time spent writing in his grandparents cottage in Scotland and the Auld Wives nearby – the faces of women mysteriously carved into a rockface.

The most significant influence however was pain of watching his grandfather deteriorate from Alzheimer’s, and the track represents Davie’s attempts to deal with the pressures this illness unfortunately brings. Deeply effecting, lyrics such as  “I’ve seen his face, carved deep in the stone, another mind you have taken away, but I swam across the ocean to find your memory, trace of all that you have left behind.” and “Now I call your name, but you can’t hear me now, no you don’t recognise my face, who are you, and why do you call me that, how dare you call me that” bring to life for listeners who have not had a similar experience the pain and confusion it can cause.

It is the band’s ability to write such poetic, personal and relatable tracks that has endeared them to so many and further raises expectations for the album.

Album Red Earth & Pouring Rain is due to follow on 22 July via Communion Records.