Five months after releasing his third solo effort, Twin Reapers, Aiden YoBear has linked forces with his longtime collaborator and friend, Evan Lytle, more popularly known as 1,361 Kodak Moment. Together under the pseudonym Bear Hug-33 they are back with their eighth full-length LP,Do Android Users Dream Of Electric Sheep Emojis. The album title is a play on, Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, the 1968 novel that later inspired the movie Blade Runner
The album starts off on a depressing note by describing the pure joy one feels as a child and how that slowly gets chipped away as one loses their individuality. The melancholy lyrics are backed by acoustic guitar and electronic drums, a Bear Hug-33 staple. This lugubrious tone is quickly swept away as a Weezer-like guitar riff screeches into the track and Do Android Users Dream Of Electric Sheep Emojis reveals its true colors…
It is a rock album.
The song ends in complete madness when the guitars glitch out and are completely overtaken by a pounding drumbeat and manic synths as while Aiden and Evan both scream, “I’m losing my sight, losing my mind, I wish someone would tell me I’m fine!!!”
Since establishing the Bear Hug-33 moniker, Aiden and Evan have been going back and forth from bedroom pop sound to an experimental folk sound. In this new body of work is Evan and Aiden going back to their roots before BearHug-33. Both of the Southern Californian natives spent a good portion of their teen years band-hopping in the Los Angeles punk scene. They both found themselves in many rock bands such as Super Lunch, Whaja Dew and Clit Kat at one point or another and their music played a key role in bringing Penniback Records into prominence.
Although the album starts off gloomy, “stop, drop, and get out of town” brings in good vibes with an uplifting synth line. The duo sing about how life is not always easy and that you do not have to be so hard on yourself. The reassuring lyrics are backed by a chorus of “La la’s,” that are contagious and will have the listener singing along.
“Big, Big Problems” describes a day in the life of an anxious person lyrically and musically. Aiden and Evan sing about the little worries such as the challenges of conversation while also focusing on big picture themes like mortality. Meanwhile the song builds up slowly and eventually reaches a haywire climax, just like an anxiety attack.
The undeniable single of the album is “Californication Theme”. It is held together by a catchy bassline that serves as the foundation of the song. It is quickly joined by a robotic guitar riff that is even more catchy! Pair these instruments with a pop-friendly chorus and the formula for a hit song is complete! The song sounds like an upbeat pop song but it is contrasted by it’s dark lyrics. The solution to relationship issues and chaotic feelings are best summed up when Evan sings, ”I can’t have a problem if there is no one around.”
The pair created a music video to accompany the song. The video itself includes everything you would expect from a song named “Californication Theme” from shots of people surfing to actual shots of Interstate 110.
Including guitar on this album gave Aiden and Evan a lot more freedom to experiment with new sounds on this record. This is represented best during the track, “Marc Johnson”. This song sounds like a Grandaddy and The Unicorns lovechild by layering playful synths, a commanding rhythm section, and a guitar stacked with a plethora of effects to make an awesome solo section. Everything blends together so perfectly it might just be the best sound bytes created by Bear Hug-33 in their whole career, let alone this album.
Listen to Do Android Users Dream Of Electric Sheep Emojis here
Buy Bear Hug-33 merchandise here
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