Bears

Formed during the summer of 2005 in Ohio, the Bears originated as a partnership between core members Charlie McArthur and Craig Ramsey. Their bright, jangly sound quickly drew parallels to bubblegum and psych pop-oriented indie pop acts such as the Afternoon Naps and the Bicycles. The pair assembled enough material for a full album in under a year and issued their self-titled debut themselves in 2006. Positive notices in outlets including Impose Magazine and Alternative Press prompted the swift release of the EP Shortest Day of the Year before the calendar turned. In 2007 the growing attention secured them a track on the Urban Outfitters/Filter Magazine Compilation #27. A busy 2008 saw several projects: a vinyl reissue of the debut album, the 7" single Who Knows on IMPOSE Records, and the second album Simple Machinery through Moon Jaw Records. Snowman, another 7" single, appeared during the winter of 2009. By 2011 the band’s songs had been placed in the quirky FOX series New Girl, and they signed with the Misra label, which put out the third album Greater Lakes the next February.