Sydney's Boy & Bear recently released their new, sun-soaked single 'Abraham', ahead of their new EP, 'Lost Dreams', which is comprised of songs created but not forgotten from their time recording the ageless album, 'Harlequin Dream'.
Ten years since the release of 'Harlequin Dream', an album that captivated and stole the ears and hearts of the band's loyal fans, 'Lost Dreams' invites us to step back in time, embrace the nostalgia of past music creations seen in a new light.With 'Lost Dreams' due next week (15 September) and their upcoming regional tour about to kick off, frontman David Hosking and guitarist Killian Gavin sat down for a chat about the 'new' music as well as a quick debrief on the Matildas' efforts in the Women's World Cup (our interview took place the day after the semi final lost to England).
Killian expressed he was grateful for the warmth of his morning coffee. While David, with a slightly fuzzy head after watching the World Cup semi final, expressed his gratitude for what the Matildas have created for Australia and the future of women's sport.
"As much as it was gutting we lost, it's been really cool to see women's sport reach that level. And hopefully that continues to pave the way forward for young girls in sport, it's really exciting”, David says.
The conversation swiftly moved from football to their new EP, featuring hidden gems that never saw the light of day during the original 'Harlequin Dream' session. "It'll be interesting to see the response of the new EP, having the opportunity to release it in a new light has been pretty cool," David says.
"I think because so much time has gone by," Killian adds, "there's a little bit of a de-attachment from the songs and we can allow them to just have their own life. It can be it's own thing. I hope people out there enjoy it for what it makes them feel; maybe it brings them back to a period of their life, so it's been a bit of fun."
David shared insight into one of the songs on the EP, 'Mexico', detailing he fought hard to have the song on the original album and now is even more nostalgic and reflective. "It's almost a bit cinematic and goes on a journey, maybe the whole process has been a cinematic reflection," David says.
David confesses he doesn't remember the thoughts that created the songs ten years ago, but says lyrically he's able to embrace the tracks more now, almost being like a fantasy, writing about characters that he admired or wanted to be, having creative freedom to fully express himself.
The band are about to embark on a huge regional tour for the remainder of the year, and Killian says they're really looking forward to it.
"It's been a while for us, we're looking forward to visiting more rural towns and rural cities around Australia. We love stopping off at all of the Aussie bakeries and getting a fresh sandwich made," Killian says.
"It's also nice to have a bit more time, get to explore and maybe have a swim somewhere. As opposed to when you're doing a capital city tour, you end of spending most of your time in the airport or in hotels."
David admits that tour life does get pretty exhausting, sometimes walking onstage weary eyed – but the adrenaline always gets him through. The boys agreed they're both pumped to play in the Blue Mountains, performing there for the first time as a band and maybe enjoy a bottle of red around the fire.
Killian says they've learned from past tours and will pace themselves a bit more with their alcohol consumption, but admits that as most of them have kids now, going on tour is a nice escape from parenting duties – they'll still do their best to keep it in check.
"Personally, I have a slight love/ hate relationship with touring because it's tiring," David says, "but every time I walk out onstage I get such a kick from it. Having that crowd response, people singing along to songs that started in our living rooms. I think that's pretty amazing that something that was created out of nothing can really connect and resonate with people."
Even with the upcoming release of 'Lost Dreams' and a huge tour to finish off 2023, the band are currently in their creative element sharing they've been writing a lot of new music both collectively and individually. David shared he'd like to be recording new material by the end of next year.
'Lost Dreams' will be released 15 September.
Boy & Bear 2023 Tour Dates
Wed 13 Sep - Theatre Royal (Castlemaine)Thu 14 Sep - Gippsland Performing Arts Centre
Fri 15 Sep - Pier Bandroom (Frankston)
Sat 16 Sep - Torquay Hotel (Torquay)* sold out
Sun 17 Sep - Torquay Hotel (Torquay)
Thu 21 Sep - Beer Deluxe (Albury)
Fri 22 Sep - Anita's Theatre (Wollongong)
Thu 28 Sep - Civic Theatre (Newcastle)
Fri 29 Sep - Drifters Wharf (Central Coast)
Sat 30 Sep - Blue Mountains Theatre
Wed 4 Oct - Albany Entertainment Centre
Thu 5 Oct - The River (Margaret River)
Fri 6 Oct - The River (Margaret River)* sold out
Sat 7 Oct - Out Of The Woods (Fremantle)
Wed 11 Oct - Seabreeze Hotel (Mackay)
Thu 12 Oct - Magnums (Airlie Beach)
Fri 13 Oct - JCU Uni Bar (Townsville)
Sat 14 Oct - Tanks Arts Centre (Cairns)
Sun 15 Oct - Tanks Arts Centre (Cairns)* sold out
Wed 8 Nov - Kings Beach Tavern (Sunshine Coast)
Thu 9 Nov - Kings Beach Tavern (Sunshine Coast)* sold out
Fri 10 Nov - Burleigh Bazaar (Gold Coast)
Sat 11 Nov - Empire Theatre (Toowoomba)
Sat 23 Nov - Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre (South Coast)
Sun 26 Nov - Queenscliff Music Festival
