If rock music is often characterized by a sound that is forceful and forward, in your face and brash, with his latest single, “Emotion Ocean,” Bear Jr argues for a more restrained, slightly hesitant way of doing things. The song is not without the requisite energy and drive, the power and profile that define the genre, but his delivery changes the nature of what rock music can be.
What truly shapes “Emotion Ocean”, though, is its sense of movement. The song’s rise and fall in careful waves, ebbs and flows through cycles from whispered sonics to crashing waves of guitar, the pauses and occasional wilful reticence building all come together to build a brilliant, gently adventurous dynamic. It is big when it wants to be, but clever throughout.
There is nothing wrong with rock music merely wanting to kick out the jams, but here it is put to much more succinct and seductive work. And lyrically it speaks to personal narratives, describing a series of vignettes and experiences, snapshots of lives being challenged and shaped by the slings and arrows that are thrown their way.
Bear Jr is a Philadelphia-area artist known for fusing intricate fingerstyle acoustic guitar melodies with modern alt-rock muscle, two elements not often seen working hand in hand, but few have ever finessed this wonderful and tricky juxtaposition – less and more, space and sonic attack, dexterity and drive – as successfully as he does here.
Links
Spotify
YouTube
Instagram
TikTok
