Bear Culture

There is a delicate line when it comes to progressive rock. If you’re not careful, you can easily tip over into being classified as screamo rock or even metal. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it is all just a matter of personal preference, but I think Bear Culture has playfully skimmed on both sides of this line. You always get the feeling you’re about to cross into metal territory but you don’t actually get there, instead you’re really stuck in a limbo with riffs and melodies that can only be described as Bear Culture’s style.

After 3 years of writing, composing and producing, Bear Culture has given birth to a self-titled album that they refer to as “the second coming of christ”, well, in their eyes anyway. Just from listening to it once through, I feel like it can almost be split into two distinct portions that could pass off as two different albums. The first five tracks have a clear progressive rock influence while the second half showcases a more alternative sound, both of which the band claims to be their genre of choice. There is a lot of playing around with segues, in the first half of the album which to me is a mark of a band that has got a solid foundation in the kind of music they want to produce. You get a preview of this right off the bat with the first two tracks ‘Morning Sun’ and ‘Premonition’.

With the next two tracks, the album shifts to a slightly aggressive, more intense arrangement. All through ‘Fool’, which is also the shortest track in the album, the band gives us a preview of just how well each of the members can play their instruments. But it’s not just the melody, their lyrics became just as intense. Just some of the lines I picked up on in ‘Partyman’ are “So tell me what I’ve been living for, without realising we’re killing ourselves” and “Humanity is lost”. Pair that kind of lyrics with some powerful drum and guitar work, it should leave anyone who is cynical about this band to become a believer in their creative abilities and raw passion.

And then there is ‘Cheescake’ that takes the cake (pun intended) as the most creative track in the album. Unless you’re allergic to cheese or have zero appreciation for dairy, I think everyone can relate to the frustrations of not having a slice of cheesecake in front of you when you want it most. After this track we delve into the more alternative half of the album and notably, my favourite half.

‘Timeless’ quickly appeals to me with the combination of slow breakdowns and distinctive alternative sound, but ‘Flow’ completely blew me away with the guitar solo during the bridge. What was impressive was also hearing Mira’s vocal range and how she could seamlessly hold a high note. If you have seen the band live, you would be familiar with ‘Valkyrie’, which has proven to be a crowd favourite probably because of its epic nature and ballad like quality. Along with ‘Little Bastard’, ‘Apollo’ and ‘Mannequin’, the injection of this quality to the genre they are tackling stretches the band’s range even further. I can just imagine how invigorating it will be to see them live.

I feel like Bear Culture is currently a young adolescent bear cub, that’s doing all the right things an adult bear can do. Their debut album is polished, well thought out and pays close attention to detail like seamless mixing and a constant volume level; details that rookies can easily dismiss. A thing or two can be put in place for better vocal quality so the lyrics can be better heard, but for a young band to have a full fledged album amongst juggling National Service and life in general, I think they are hunters in their prime that will be prowling about in the music scene for a while. - Nurhafizah Hatman

SINGAPORE — Keen observers of the Singapore indie music scene might be reasonably familiar with alternative rockers Bear Culture. Formed by students of Republic Polytechnic, the quintet earned a decent enough profile playing at various events such as Baybeats Festival, NOISE Singapore and the Asian Music Festival back in 2011, before performing a hat-trick of shows at their school’s IGNITE Festival for the next three years.

It’s nonetheless fair to say the band — comprising Nur Amira binte Khairil Anuar (vocals), Jayme Lim Hui Min (lead guitar), Muhammad Shahrin Syazwan (second guitar), Muhammad Khair bin Safaruan (bass guitar) and Niki Koh Zheng Hao (drums) — has been somewhat under the radar. But that’s all about to change when they launch their eponymous debut on Sunday at the Esplanade Theatre Studio.

Fans of the heavier aspects of alternative rock will find much to savour on this 11-track debut with its attention to technical virtuosity, diverse lyrical subjects and melodic finesse. The songwriting is evidence of the wide-ranging listening habits of the band, from the progressive metal thrust of Premonition and Little Bastard to the radio-friendly alt-pop leanings of Timeless and Flow. We spoke to guitarist Shahrin Syazwan to find out more about this intriguing band.

Q: Can you explain what each member brings to the band?

A: Jayme brings organisational efficiency and most of the music, Amira writes the lyrics, I do a little bit of both song writing and lyric writing, while Khair and Niki both work in tandem to turn simple parts into complex rhythms.

Q: What were the challenges in writing, recording and producing the album?

A: Musically speaking, we were more or less happy with the initial ideas, but pre-production recording made us notice parts that were not impressive enough so that pushed us to be more creative. The biggest challenge though was National Service, which took a massive toll on the time that could be spent writing or recording. But we did not let it get in our way.

Q: The material on the album is very diverse stylistically. Why?

A: The diverse style was not really a conscious decision. We just wrote whatever we felt like writing. Perhaps it could be explained by each member having very different musical tastes, ranging from Blink-182 to Justin Timberlake and many different bands and artists in-between.

Q: In the middle of the album, there are a couple of songs, Timeless and Flow, that seem to deviate from the heavy rock of the opening tracks. Were these songs made for radio airplay?

A: We realised that the songs were suitable for radio after writing them. We wrote these songs mainly to give the listener a break from the heavy, busy instrumentations of the opening tracks and to let Amira’s vocals shine through. It is important to have songs suitable for radio as they can open many doors and invite many new listeners to your music.

Q: There is also a deliberate attempt to present the album as a whole — one song segues into the next. Can you explain the decision?

A: This idea was inspired by many bands we’ve previously listened to. We have always felt that an album presented as a whole would be the best way to represent what the artist is about, rather than a single song.

Q: Any plans to tour overseas in support of the album?

A: At the moment, our tour manager has not finalised the details of our tour yet so I’m afraid I cannot divulge too many details in case they are not finalised. We have secured a show in China and KL at the moment and more details will be available once we’ve finalised the whole tour!

Q: What do you hope to achieve with this album and what would need to happen in order for you to deem the album a success.

A: We hope to achieve world domination! But in all seriousness, we just hope to tour as much as possible to promote the album and spread our craft worldwide.

Tickets for the concert on Sunday are available from http://bearculture.peatix.com/. The album will also be available on iTunes and Bandcamp starting today. - TODAY Online

Four-piece alternative rock outfit Bear Culture will finally be releasing their debut eponymous album this 22 March 2015 – something their fans have been waiting for since they first entered the rock scene five years back.

Produced and recorded over a period of three years, Bear Culture’s album is a collection of familiar tunes and fresh material. Songs like Premonition, which was officially released with a music video last month, seems to be a crowd favourite thanks to previous performances at high-powered gigs like IGNITE! and Baybeats.



The band has performed at IGNITE! four years in a row despite having no official releases – a testament to their musical abilities and determination as a band. Now that a digital album release will be available on iTunes and Bandcamp, the wait for a complete Bear Culture experience is over.

Catch Bear Culture’s album launch on 22 March 2015 at Esplanade Theatre Studio. Tickets are priced at SGD15 (includes the CD) and available for purchase at Peatix. The digital album release will be up on 21 March. Keep a look out for their Asian Tour in late April! - NOOKMAG

Bear Culture - comprising Nur Amira Khairil Anuar (vocals), Jayme Lim (lead guitar), Muhammad Shahrin Syazwan (guitar), Muhammad Khair Safaruan (bass) and Niki Koh (drums) - are releasing their self-titled debut album on 21 March 2015.

Armed with a burly flair for the fanciful, riotous sense of humour, and diverse technical specializations, Bear Culture was formed with five members united over a common love for using rock instrumentation for more than just rock music.

The quintet’s sound have roots in alternative rock, with elements of 1980s rock, metal, and modern pop sensibilities thrown in, which results in a modern, pummeling, eclectic concoction which is sure to reverberate with listeners.

Fresh from the completion of their eponymous debut album, Bear Culture is itching to release the fruits of their labour. Driven by smooth, soaring vocal melodies and velocious guitar solos, the release includes the debut single ‘Premonition’, and crowd favourites ‘Valkyrie’ and ‘Cheesecake’.

Set to be released digitally on iTunes and Bandcamp on the 21 March and physical copies available on the following day at the launch party at the Esplanade Theatre Studio, the band is excited to share the results of their hopes and dreams. Driving the debut, self titled release is their debut single, ‘Premonition’, which a music video was shot for.

Bear Culture - "Premonition" music video


Filled with both aggressive, hard-hitting bouts and melodically powerful passages, the 11-track release promises to take the listener on a trip through the vast creative capabilities of the band. The various styles of songwriting reflect this, with tracks like the funky, upbeat ‘Cheesecake’ drawing a stark contrast to the epics that are ‘Valkyrie’ and ‘Mannequin’.

Produced and recorded over a period of three years and a few lineup changes along the way, the album is a result of fortitude and sheer willpower not to let anything get in the way of producing the album. “It was tough, and many times I felt like giving up. But we were stubborn and it paid off,” said lead guitarist and co-producer Jayme Lim. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Mark Spencer with co-producers Jayme Lim, Utha Kumanan and Eugene Yip, the album is assured to be aurally pleasant. - Walk On Music

Four years after they were discovered through the mentorship programmes on local music events Baybeats and Noise Singapore, eclectic rock quintet Bear Culture are finally dropping their self-titled debut full-length album at this show. Known for their lively stage presence and a sound that references rock and metal in its various permutations from the 1980s and 1990s, as well as a healthy dollop of modern pop, the band’s main set will be preceded by alt-rock experimentalists sub:shaman.

Where: Esplanade Theatre Studio MRT: Esplanade When: Sunday, 6.30pm Admission: $15 for entry plus CD, from bearculture.peatix.com

- See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/music/story/gigs-picks-bear-culture-shanghai-jazz-project-and-taj-20150320#sthash.IWJaVId6.dpuf - The Straits Time

Track: Premonition by Bear Culture

Year of Release: 2015

Genre: Progressive Metal

Links to Listen(Or Purchase): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKFZavwmOdQ

Description: Premonition, the long-awaited lead single from Bear Culture’s upcoming sophomore effort, brings to the table an eclectic mix of 80s Speed Metal and contemporary Progressive Metal. The track effortlessly juggles odd time signatures and syncopation, possessing a cohesive arrangement that makes everything flow naturally. Brilliant interplay between Bear Culture’s guitarists, Jayme and Shahrin, are the main attraction of the piece. The technical guitar work remains immaculate throughout, bearing a mesmerising melodic element that ensures its accessibility to listeners foreign to the genre. The rhythm section hits hard yet, handles the song’s meandering progression with dexterity and precision. Premonition in all its good however, does suffer from one major fault; lack-lustre vocals. The lyrics are delivered without conviction, as if the vocalist doesn’t truly believe or understand them, while the melody is mostly one-dimensional, wearing on the ear with repeat listens. Overall, Premonition is a strong sophomore effort by Bear Culture, pushing technical boundaries while staying true to the band’s themes of fantasy and mythicism. We’re looking forward to the album!

Yay or Nay: Yay Rating: 4/5 - The 440 Weekly

Bear Culture

Genre: Alternative Rock/Progressive

Armed with a burly flair for the fanciful, riotous sense of humour, and diverse technical specializations, Bear Culture was formed with 5 members united over a common love for using rock instrumentations for more than just rock music. Their music has undeniable alternative rock inspirations, but surpasses the unapologetic beautiful melodies. Bear Culture’s influence range from Journey to Mastodon, as reflected in the eclectic concoctions that make their sound distinctive, deeply arresting, and on the edge of evolution in music. Despite being a young entrant into the Singapore indie music scene, the band has already made rounds in the local circuit, playing at the Youth Olympics, Noise Singapore, SCAPE showcases and most recently, at Esplanade Theater’s 2011 Baybeats Festival, playing at the Powerhouse Stage.



Why we love Bear Culture: We love the introduction of ‘Valkyrie’ and how it escalated to the first verse of the song sang by vocalist, Nur Amira, beautifully. - Actually Singapore