A shimmering glaze radiates off Spirit of the Bear’s new single “Summer Snow,” a groovy modern disco jam ready to light our spirits – and our hips – on fire.
Stream: “Summer Snow” – Spirit of the Bear
We hope you’re ready to dive into the year’s hottest season, because this Ohio quintet are about to get their summer vibes on and they’re taking us along for the ride: A shimmering glaze radiates off Spirit of the Bear’s new single “Summer Snow,” a groovy modern disco jam ready to light our spirits – and our hips – on fire.
The sun is in my hindsight again
We step into a still-life to be what we pretend
But I still live my life to see
The beauty when I fall asleep, so
I keep reminding myself, “out here, we’re all that is”
We’ll be an echo in the night
A simple sign of life like the air we breathe
We’ll be the thing we’ll never know
In summer it will snow if you set the scene
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the audio and music video for “Summer Snow,” the lead single off Spirit of the Bear’s upcoming self-titled third album, Spirit of the Bear.
Comprised of James Harker (vocals, guitar), Danny Svenson, (keys, vocals), Ethan Schwendeman (keys), Jamie Vitullo (drums), and Mike Perorazio (bass), Spirit of the Bear have been tearing up Northeast Ohio’s indie scene for over five years. Now based in Columbus, the band are gearing up to release their first album full-length record post-college – they’ve been together since their high school days – and if this song is any indication, Spirit of the Bear have found a new peak of both sonic and stylistic finesse.
“For us, ‘Summer Snow’ was really the beginning of an entirely new phase of the band,” the group tell Atwood Magazine. “We’ve grown as people a lot since cutting our teeth as a band in high school and college, and when we went out to a cabin in the woods to write the new album in the summer of 2019, we really got to open up with each other and find what we wanted the band to become. This was the first song to come out of those sessions, and that’s really what the song is about.”
Sweet guitar licks fall seamlessly into the deep 1-2 kicks of a seasoned drum and bass team as “Summer Snow” whisks us into a world of its own – a world whose lush, tender harmonies sync up with an insatiable rhythm and pulsing beat.
Searching for a silence inside
We’re out to find a reason to cross our own divide
But the world becomes a louder place
When all that’s left is outer space, so
I still listen from the other side
We’ll be an echo in the night
A simple sign of life like the air we breathe
We’ll be the thing we’ll never know
In summer it will snow if you set the scene
“One of my favorite moments of ‘Summer Snow’ was during its production,” band member Ethan Schwendeman recently recalled on social media. “We asked our friend Nate Gelfand to record strings for a part in the song, and after he recorded we compiled all of his tracks and played it. That moment of listening to it took ‘Summer Snow’ for me to a whole new level, solidifying the ’70s disco aesthetic we planned to reach. After that, I couldn’t wait to release it.”
“Summer Snow” certainly embodies ’70s disco – especially when it meets modern indie pop.
The group’s glistening guitars blaze with a funky cool heat as their voices melt into one indulgent, immersive tone. “Summer Snow” is inviting, but unassuming; Spirit of the Bear are having fun, and they want everyone to join in on their good time. At what is increasingly feeling like a low point in human history, we all deserve to take a few moments to ourselves – be it to dance, sing, or just let it all out. “Summer Snow” helps you do all these things at once, getting us moving and grooving to a jam we can’t wait to spin on repeat.
Directed and edited by James Harker and shot on location in Columbus and Youngstown, Ohio, the “Summer Snow” video adds a fitting vintage quilt over a song that straddles the present and the past. It’s as fun watching these five run around their home state and play with grapefruits, as it is watching them rock out to their own music. When you know a band is having as good a time as you are, it makes all the difference.
Stream Spirit of the Bear’s new single and video exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and put their forthcoming self-titled album on your wish list: This record promises to be a standout. We just can’t wait to hear more of that groovy guitar goodness, but for now, we’ve got some “Summer Snow” to rinse and repeat, on repeat.
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:: stream/purchase “Summer Snow” here ::
Stream: “Summer Snow” – Spirit of the Bear
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? © Nick Fancher artwork © Nick D'Apolito
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