Album Info Hide Show Artist: Bear Hands Album: Fake Tunes Released: USA, 2019 Tracklist: A1 Blue Lips A2 Mr. Radioactive A3 Friends In High Places A4 Back Seat Driver (Spirit Guide) A5 Reptilians B1 Ignoring The Truth B2 Clean Up California B3 Exes B4 Pill Hill B5 Blame B6 Confessions Info About Buying Vinyl From Our Record Store We are a small independent record store located at 211 High St, Preston in Melbourne, Australia (North of Northcote, between Thornbury & Reservoir) We buy and sell new and used vinyl records – if you have a collection you’d like to sell please click here . We ship Australia wide for a flat rate of $10 for standard shipping or $15 for express post. Free Shipping for orders $150 and over. You can also pick up your order in store, just select Local Pickup at the checkout. We also ship internationally – prices vary depending on weight and location. We ship vinyls in thick, rigid carboard mailers with a crushable zone on either side, and for extra safety we bubble wrap the records. In stock vinyl is usally shipped next business day, please check the availability field at the top of the product page to see whether the record is currently in stock or if it is available from the supplier as well as estimated shipping times. If you order an in stock item together with a pre order or back order (listed as available from supplier rather than in stock) then the order will be shipped together when all items arrive. If you would like the in stock items shipped first please place two separate orders or contact us to arrange shipping items separately. We are strongly committed to customer satisfaction. If you experience any problems with your order contact us so we can rectify the situation. If the record arrives damaged or doesn’t arrive we will cover the cost of replacing or returning the record. If you change your mind you have 30 days to return your record but you must cover the cost of returning it to the store. You can contact our Melbourne record shop at (03) 9939 3807 or at [email protected] Happy Listening! Description Hide Show Bear Hands have always thrived in the grey area between wiry indie rock and twitchy synth pop, and Fake Tunes pushes that balance into a sharper, cheekier place. Released on 10 May 2019, it arrived as the Brooklyn-via-Wesleyan trio were a little leaner and more self-aware, and it sounds it. The edges are clean, the jokes run dark, and the hooks sneak up like a grin you try not to show on the tram. The opening run sets the tone. Back Seat Driver (Spirit Guide) is the band at their most addictive, a motorik pulse and clipped guitars circling Dylan Raus half-sardonic, half-anxious vocal. Its clever without feeling precious, with those synth accents glinting just enough to catch the ear. Blue Lips, a fan favourite, pivots from the same palette but lets more air in. Ursula Roses guest turn softens the songs bite in the best way, a counterpoint that turns a prickly topic into a sly duet. You dont need liner notes to hear the chemistry. Its the kind of single that gets stuck in your head while youre flipping through Bear Hands vinyl at a shop and you realise youve been humming that chorus for three aisles. If you came in through the bands 2014 radio hit Giants, theres a familiar swagger here, but the mood has matured. The rhythms are more pointed, and the synths do more than just decorate. They jab, they tease, they answer Raus deadpan like another character in the room. Fake Tunes isnt a concept album, though it brushes against life online, bad advice from strangers, and the weird shapes anxiety takes in public. It does all that with a light touch. The humour sits next to the worry, not on top of it, which is why these songs keep landing on repeat. Bear Hands core remains Rau, Val Loper on bass, and TJ Orscher on drums, and Fake Tunes plays to that trios strengths. The basslines feel elastic, a little rubbery, always propulsive. The drums have snap and presence, pushing the choruses rather than blasting through them. Guitars drop in like cool punctuation. When the band go harder, the songs still move like dance music. When they lean into electronics, the rhythms still feel human. That give-and-take is the records quiet magic. Reptilians is the sneerier cousin of the singles, built on a low-end throb that would have sounded huge in a dark club on a humid Friday at the Corner. Theres also a late-album patience that rewards full playthrough, the sort of sequencing that reminds you why Fake Tunes vinyl is worth the shelf space. The grooves and dynamics translate beautifully when you let the sides breathe, and the subtle synth details sit nicely once youre not at the mercy of phone speakers. Part of the pleasure here is how Bear Hands keep their wit intact while sharpening the songwriting. Theyre still the band that looks at the mess and cracks a smile, but theyve trimmed the chatter. Choruses feel inevitable rather than just catchy. Verses carry their weight. Its a record you can put on while cooking and suddenly find yourself standing in the kitchen, wooden spoon in hand, thinking about a line you just half-heard. Then another hook swoops in and youre back to stirring. Critical response at the time pegged these songs as some of their most immediate, and that tracks. Blue Lips in particular became a setlist moment, and you can hear why. It feels effortless, the kind of pop that doesnt forget it came from a scrappy guitar band. If youre chasing Bear Hands albums on vinyl, this sits smartly next to Distraction and Youll Pay For This, a little brighter in colour, just as sharp in attitude. For those crate-digging in a Melbourne record store, Fake Tunes is the kind of modern indie LP that plays well in a front bar between sets, then reveals extra layers when you take it home. If you like to buy Bear Hands records online, keep an eye out for pressings that do the low-end justice. Its also an easy recommendation for anyone browsing vinyl records Australia-wide who wants guitars with a pulse and synths with personality rather than polish for its own sake. Bear Hands dont overstay their welcome here. Fake Tunes is concise, catchy, and quietly cutting, built for repeat spins and sly grins. If youve been on the fence, this is the record thatll tip you toward the register. Product Reviews Hide Show Write a Review