''Fake Tunes'' is the fourth studio album by American experimental rock band,
Bear Hands
Bear Hands is an American post-punk and indie rock band, consisting of Dylan Rau (vocals and guitar), Val Loper (bass), Ted Feldman (guitar), and TJ Orscher (drums). Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, United States, and formed in 2006, the band sig ...
. The album was released on May 10, 2019, through Spensive Sounds.
Release and promotion
Two weeks after the release of ''Fake Tunes'', Bear Hands opened for
Twenty One Pilots
Twenty One Pilots (stylized in all lowercase or as twenty øne piløts) are an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio. Initially a band, the group was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with Nick Thomas and Chris Salih, who b ...
during the second North American leg of
The Bandito Tour
The Bandito Tour (stylized as THE BANDITØ TØUR) is the sixth concert tour by the American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, in support of their fifth studio album '' Trench'' (2018). The tour began at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenness ...
. Bear Hands opened for Twenty One Pilots from May 12 to June 30, 2019. From October 8 to November 29, 2019, Bear Hands will co-headline with
X Ambassadors
X Ambassadors (also stylized XA) are an American pop rock band from Ithaca, New York. Its members currently include lead vocalist Sam Harris, keyboardist Casey Harris, and drummer Adam Levin. Russ Flynn is a touring member that plays guitar and ...
in promotion of the album.
Singles
The first single, "Back Seat Driver (Spirit Guide)", was released on April 5, 2018.
The single was the highest charting and highest streaming single on the album, reaching number 21 on the Alternative Songs charts, specifically peaking at that place on June 9, 2018.
The second single, "
Blue Lips
''Blue Lips'' is the third studio album by Swedish singer Tove Lo. It was released on 17 November 2017 by Island Records. ''Blue Lips'' is considered the second half of a two-piece concept album that describe "highs, lows and ultimate demise o ...
" featuring backing vocals from Ursula Rose, was released on January 3, 2019.
The single peaked at number 32 on the
''Billboard'' Alternative Songs
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...
charts during the week of March 23, 2019.
The single was well received critically and described as having a range of influences in sound and style, ranging from
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
,
rap rock
Rap rock is a fusion genre that fuses vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock's most popular subgenres include rap metal and rapcore, which include heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented influences, res ...
,
and
jangle pop
Jangle pop is a subgenre of pop rock or college rock that emphasizes jangly guitars and 1960s-style pop melodies. The term originated from Bob Dylan's song " Mr. Tambourine Man", whose 1965 rendition by the Byrds became considered one of the g ...
.
Critical reception
Writing for ''QRO Magazine'', Ted Chase described that the album has the capability of being a major hit saying "perhaps they're too artistic to be as big as the likes of
Twenty One Pilots
Twenty One Pilots (stylized in all lowercase or as twenty øne piløts) are an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio. Initially a band, the group was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with Nick Thomas and Chris Salih, who b ...
(who they recently toured with), and too tough to pin down, genre-wise. But that's because they actually successfully mix their influences into something special." Chase gave the album an 8 out of 10.
Andrew Duncan, writing for ''Selective Memory'' magazine offered a more mixed review of ''Fake Tunes''. Duncan said that the album sees Bear Hands "caught between a rock and a hard place. Too young to slow down but too adult to be reckless, that is the underlying presence within the songwriting of Fake Tunes. Bear Hands have always been an intriguing fixture in the indie rock world, yet ''Fake Tunes'' is a crossroads." Duncan gave ''Fake Tunes'' three stars out of five
Track listing
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
2019 albums
Bear Hands albums