Bear Hands

Having earned his degree from Wesleyan, Dylan Rau launched the indie electro quartet Bear Hands amid intense upheaval in his personal relationships. Romantic conflicts and fluctuating affections prompted him to compose dozens of tracks. To channel this surge of material, Rau recruited his former classmate Ted Feldman plus Brooklyn musicians Val Loper and T.J. Orscher. The group’s debut offering arrived as 2007’s Golden EP, which promptly drew notice in both local and national circles. Extensive road work followed, including opening dates for kindred acts such as Vampire Weekend, Passion Pit, MGMT, and Mayer Hawthorne. Additional limited releases appeared, accompanied by overseas performances that encompassed Brazilian shows with Chairlift.

Bear Hands delivered their first full-length album, Burning Bush Supper Club, in 2010, then issued further singles before unveiling the 2012 EP Songs from Utopia, Vol. 1. Their next studio effort, 2014’s Distraction, produced an unanticipated Top Ten entry on Billboard’s Alternative charts through lead single “Giants.” The resulting visibility earned festival slots at Coachella and Lollapalooza plus a debut network-television appearance on Conan. For the follow-up album You’ll Pay for This in 2016, the quartet formed their own imprint, Spensive Sounds. Early in 2018 the band released the driving single “Back Seat Driver (Spirit Guide),” which later surfaced on the 2019 EP Blue Lips.