The blogoshpere that we worship for new inspiring tunes has been flooded with bland and uninspired bands. It’s quite a shame to say, but it’s the sore sad truth. While visiting my relatives in 2010, my dad and I went to a local show and experienced a band that I had never sonically heard before. They came out with the dramatic chaos of post-hardcore fused with the bipolar aspects of experimental rock. Siren vocals and raw screams were blurred behind this synth-drenched fusion band. The two vocalists bearing both plastic bunny and bear masks were accompanied by such a gang of strange aura. Ladies and gentlemen, The Bunny The Bear.
On The Bunny The Bear’s fifth full length, Food Chain, the band is back with a completely different musical direction from previous releases. I’m not going to go in depth with the band’s previous records; just go listen to the breakout album with Victory Records, If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say… to simply start you off with the discography. The Bunny The Bear is Matthew “The Bunny” Tybor on unclean vocals and songwriting and Chris “The Bear” Hutka on clean vocals. The band left off with its last release, Stories, which went for the band’s synth pop/electronic rock side to a lot more structured and mature sound on Food Chain. The album explores heavier elements of electronic-infused experimental metal on songs like “Pale Green Eyes” and “Flying Like a Bird,” but still keeps soulful alt pop anthems, like “Cancer.” The only true let down about this album is the lack of true exploration that The Bunny The Bear has always been infamous for. This album is the most structured album to date, yet there were not as many risks that were taken that I’ve always admired.
This is also the band’s best-produced album since the breakout album, and it’s also an extremely guitar-driven album. The drums are crisp against the swirling wonky synth leads which are complemented nicely against the heavy guitar riffs. I will say that The Bunny The Bear really throws everything at you at once on the song “So Smooth So Appealing,” which is a dizzying track that combines all the elements they have ever touched on before. Truth be told, many songs share the infectious catchy trait that will have songs like “First Met You” and “Skyscrapers” in your head for days on end. I can really tell that the songwriting has improved significantly on Food Chain, but the band is also trying to keep things fresh with each album having a totally different sound.
Vocally, this album is leaning towards Tybor’s screams and his occasional dabble in clean singing. The opening and title track finds Tybor screaming at double time which shows his impressive improvement on vocal performance. Whether it be his guttural lows, harsh almost spoken-word mids or his bloodcurdling feral highs, Tybor has always had his signature sound. That’s not to say that Hutka doesn’t whip out his incredible angelic vocals. He displays his flowery croons throughout the record, giving it infectious hooks and triumphant choruses.
The Bunny The Bear has really gone into mature territory with Food Chain with its improved production, heavier and structured songwriting and the familiar formula that is morphed once again. This band has created a unique sound that doesn’t sound like any band in the scene – and that is a feat by itself.
