Review: The Bunny The Bear – Stories
Artist: The Bunny The Bear
Album: Stories
Rating: 10/10
Track List:
1. Eating Disorder
2. In Like Flynn
3. Hey, Allie
4. It’s Not Always Cold in Buffalo
5. Another Day
6. The Frog
7. Melody
8. Imagine
9. Your Reasons
10. What We’re Here For
11. Sadie
The Bunny The Bear is a band that wiggled their way into my heart when Victory first signed them. I saw a lot of hate flying around when they were signed, but I myself was very intrigued by the diverse direction that this band can go. When they released their Victory debut “If You Don’t Have Anything Nice To Say…” a lot of the hateful words were eaten and I saw people really starting to respect and love the band. This band is amazing in the fact that they can manage to use electronics, very unique clean vocals and screams/growls in such a way that they don’t sound like your normal metal band. Now it’s too difficult to place this band in a genre, because they are all over the place which is another thing that makes me love them so much. Now, a little bit about the band. The 2 central characters in the band are The Bunny, Matt Tybor who does the majority of the writing and the unclean vocals and on this album he starts to show he can do clean vocals as well, this is the man that everyone can tell you about. The character few people talk about, though, is The Bear, Chris Hutka. While he is instrumental in doing the clean vocals, he is a central part of the band and this band would not be the same without the diversity he brings to the table. The band’s newest album “Stories” sees quite a few more vocal parts from Matt, as well as quite a range of his vocal ability. He’s said in many interviews, including the one done for our site by Russell Tyler Ritchey, that he wanted the album to be a lot more melodic and that’s just what he has achieved with this record. The lead single, featured on the Victory Records Sampler for this year, “In Like Flynn” sounds a bit more like the old The Bunny The Bear material that we are used to and that’s all well and good, because that’s what we’ve come to expect. But then you get into tracks like “It’s Not Always Cold In Buffalo” and you get quite a beautiful melodic track that will have you singing your heart out! Without further ado, I bring you my review of “Stories” and hopefully you will gain a greater appreciation for the band when you’re done reading it.
Eating Disorder: This track starts out very electronically-oriented and jumps directly into the alternating vocals from The Bunny and The Bear, this is the perfect intro track for this album. The vocals towards the end of it are pretty haunting and I really believe they shape this track and make it the powerful introductory track that it is to this album.
In Like Flynn: “Here’s a little toast to leaving me all alone, bleeding. Here’s another toast to giving up all you own, dreaming!” This track seems to be about leaning on someone who you know you don’t need, but seems crucial to your life at the time and you feel like you can’t live without them. “You’re a crutch for my life, it’s alright. Treating all my desperate thinking. I’m offering my life, I’m alright. I’ll bleed myself with lack of meaning” This line right here says a lot about the meaning behind the track and why I think what I think about it. It’s definitely a track that will see many people dancing and out of their seats, though, at the same time.
Hey, Allie: Starting off with piano and electronics, in the same manner as “Ocean Floor” which was a popular track on their Victory debut, this track is one of my favorites lyrically. “Allie, I hope you know it’s true. I’ve never met another girl like you and it’s hard to repeat just what’s been bothering me. Well, sometimes I find that broken is cute.” This track seems to be about unintentionally hurting the one you love. He’s talking to her as if he’s hurt her and is trying to find ways to justify his actions. This track ends incredibly electronically oriented, but listen to the lyrics, if you can.
It’s Not Always Cold in Buffalo: This track is definitely one of the most beautiful on the album melodically, it really shows how beautiful the vocals in TBTB can be. Like Matt said, he wanted this album to be more melodic than previous material. This track is definitely an example of how the band has managed to achieve that. I wish I could place the guest vocals, but they make this track even more incredible. “Maybe you’ll find a way to rewind, to forgive, with time. And hopefully you will see, it’s not always cold in Buffalo” I think this is an extension of the last track’s meaning. Only this time, I think she has left and he is crying out for her to come back. The electronics, The vocals and the instrumentals in this track are just so perfectly placed, making for one of the best slower songs the band has ever put out.
Another Day: The band just released a lyric video for this track. It’s another beautiful and melodic track, which, I honestly didn’t catch upon first listening to the album but the more I listened, I realized, this track is a stand-out track among the others on the album. It seems that this track is about him realizing just how much he’s hurt the aforementioned girl, Allie, I’m assuming and how he feels about that. He wants to be with her and he’ll do anything to prove it. “We sail the sea together, searching for a light. We sail through stormy weather. Well that depends on you!” This track is definitely a tearjerker, lyrically.
The Frog: This is an older track that was remastered and re-done for this album. It’s probably one of the more fun and dance-like on the album, but it’s still just as powerful lyrically. If you haven’t noticed, this band doesn’t just throw lyrics into a song, Matt throws his entire heart into the words he writes. This track is about trying to move on, he’s in bed with another woman. He doesn’t want to be there, but his desires overpower his thoughts and though it will never make sense to him, he’s there anyway. He has that longing that keeps him awake at night, while she’s next to him feeling satisfied.
Melody: This is another one of the more beautiful, yet powerful songs on the album. The title says it all, there is indeed quite a bit of melody in this track. This seems to be another attempt at gaining Allie back. I think this is more of a sonnet-type of song where he’s there with her in spirit, but isn’t there physically and wants to be. There are many meanings, I’m sure that can be grasped on this track.
Imagine: This is definitely the track that has the most electronic parts, but it also shows how diverse the vocals in TBTB can be. The aim for this album, is to tell a story or stories and, I’m sure in the lyrics there are many stories/meanings you can get from it. I can’t quite grasp a meaning to this one, but I definitely feel something coming from it.
Your Reasons: This really doesn’t sound like a track that The Bunny The Bear would do, but as we’ve learned, expect the unexpected when it comes to this band. Tracks like this are what make this band so unique and loveable. As I said earlier, you can not place them in a genre because their material is all over the place. You can have a metal track that jumps to pop, pop to electronica, electronica to acoustic or soft-rock and so on and so forth. This track, along with the rest of the album so far, just proves that. This track is about the lonely feeling he’s having from missing the one he loves. “Give me your heart and wrap it tightly! Give me your reason to hold onto me” He’s hoping that she will see that he has changed and he wants her to see that he will do better. If you’re a guy or hell, even if you’re a girl, you’ve been there. Begging for something that you know just can’t be again, but your heart overwhelms you and forces you to do it anyway.
What We’re Here For: This track features some of the highest notes that the band has done so far in this album. “I will sing and shout if that’s what you ask for and I will live my life shining your light on me” I think this track is about the meeting between the two to work things out. He’s telling her that he will do whatever she wants him to if she will reconsider. “I need to remember at times that this head of mine, well it’s not always screwed on right. I’m not always right. And I know what you promised, I’m completely aware. But I’m asking Lord, I need to know…I just need to know!” This part almost had me in tears from the emotion you can hear in the vocals, it’s one of the more powerful tracks on the album and I recommend it if you don’t know or haven’t been a fan of the band. This track is far from anything they have done so far.
Sadie: The final track on the album is called “Sadie”. It’s the slowest track on the album and very piano-driven. The vocals in this track are absolutely beautiful, full of emotion and powerful. This is the part where he is begging for one last chance. He refuses to live without her. About mid-way through, some electronics and keyboard come into play, bringing the track a little bit of a happier feel. Shortly after that, we get some acoustics going as well as some bass. The track picks up, but it still keeps that beautiful quality to it. Listen to the lyrics, he’s asking her to marry him, he’s asking her to spend the rest of her life with him. It’s so sad because, as far as we can tell, she never listens….
Final Thoughts:
This album has quickly become my favorite The Bunny The Bear album to date. I highly recommend it to all the non-believers out there who still believe this band is nothing but a joke. This album is heartfelt, beautiful, angry, joyful and angst-ridden all at the same time. It shows the true diversity of the band and I believe that it’s going to win over quite a few hearts. Don’t just take my word for it, though, pick up your copy of “Stories” on April 16th through Victory Records and dive into the world of The Bunny The Bear. You won’t regret it!
