Bear Hands - You’ll Pay for This

The Guardian 40

(Spensive Sounds)

In an age of hyped then quickly discarded blogosphere bands, Bear Hands are a cheering anachronism. They formed in 2006 but first found real success in 2014; their hit single Giants was a reward for resilience. You might assume that their songs are slowburners too, but the opposite is true. Their third album is dominated by hooky, disposable guitar and synth-pop, well suited to indie dancefloors, even better suited to daytime radio playlists. In their favour, the band have a broad musical palette: there are echoes here of electronica (I Won’t Pay), twitchy funk (Marathon Man) and Simon and Garfunkel (Boss). But, except for the wistful Too Young, nothing leaves a deep impression.