A woozy daydream of languid melodies begins to unfold in the first track of Berlin-based artist Bearcubs’ new album Early Hours. Out today, Bearcubs (Jack Ritchie) shares his ten-track cinematic journey, one that will ease any anxiety you might feel at home between its hazy euphoric moments and melodramatic vocals.
Ritchie’s compositional variance stems from his teenage years performing in punk rock bands and hip-hop groups, never settling for one singular sound. The album weaves between slow-burning RnB sensibilities to upbeat 90s dancefloor joints, showcasing that genre-blending instinct instilled in his production.
Following the breakout success of his debut record Ultraviolet, which earned him praise from the likes of Annie Mac and Zane Lowe, Ritchie found himself being asked to score the feature-length film Relativity, something he’d never have dreamt at 27 years old. It comes as no surprise when you hear his music - from the pensive cut ‘Screentime’ to the latest sultry single ‘Même Langue (ft. Munya)’ - he crafts a sonic realm of escapism, one that feels relatable in our current climate.
We sat down with Ritchie to find out more about the inspiration behind his most impressive work to date.
Congrats on releasing Early Hours today, how are you celebrating in quarantine?
Thanks! Last night I had a Zoom listening party on the balcony, where I played through some of the album tracks and chatted with people about it. That's the closest thing I can get to a real release party. We'll have a few drinks as well to celebrate tonight.
Your single 'Même Langue ft. Munya', is French for 'same language,' though ironically the lyrics are split between French and English. Do you speak French at all? What's the message behind this one?
I'm pretty sure I failed my French exams at school, so I wouldn't say the French language is a strength of mine. But there is still something I like about the sound of it. Même Langue was partly inspired by the Guru and Mc Solaar track 'Le bien, Le mal' which is a split language hip-hop track between English and French. I wanted to make a 90s dance track inspired song, it kind of hints at language not being a barrier to dancing and love.
You recently scored the German feature-length film, Relativity. Has that always been a passion or goal of yours? Were there any films or scores that inspired Early Hours?
Soundtracking is something I've always wanted to do, but I didn't think I'd be working on a feature length film so soon. So I was chuffed to say the least. There were quite a few films and soundtracks that I took as inspiration for the Relativity score. I'm a big fan of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and their score for 'The Social Network', they use these grainy textures and drones which create a very eerie, surreal atmosphere. I also was inspired by Mica Levi's score for 'Under the Skin', Cliff Martinez's score to 'Drive’, Angelo Badalamenti and Vangelis, the list goes on.
Moving from London to Berlin, were there cultural differences that influenced your creative process?
Mainly just the slower pace of life and freedom here. It gave me time to relax and think about what I wanted to do musically without any outside pressures. I've also been influenced a lot by the people I've met here, for example one of the first people I collaborated with here was producer and good friend of mine Narou, and the track 'Overthinking' we made ended up being the first single on my album.
You grew up playing in punk bands and hip-hop groups, what led you to this indie-electronic sound?
I studied Digital Music & Sound Arts at Brighton, which was a bit of a weird course but I met some people there that opened my eyes to new electronic music at the time. I remember hearing artists like Burial, Sbtrkt and Flying Lotus and it just blew my mind, I couldn't fathom how they had made those sounds. So that got me into electronic music more and made me want to produce. I guess now I'm trying to combine these electronic influences with more of the band and indie sounding stuff that I listened to growing up.
You have a podcast called 'Early Hours' too - who would your dream guest be to host?
Probably David Byrne of the Talking Heads. I'm a big fan of his music and I think he'd be a pretty funny and interesting character to talk to. Or maybe Frank Ocean if I could get him to spill any secrets.
Describe the perfect setting to listen to Early Hours.
On a night bus home after a night out or walking around the city at dusk watching the cars, people, life go by.
Are you creating new music now and how are you staying inspired inside?
Yeah I'm always making new music, especially now it's been a while since I finished Early Hours. I'm staying inspired by trying to get more in touch with my musical roots (as cheesy as that sounds), listening to older classics and legends, while keeping up to date with the sounds of now. I'm quite excited for the new music I'm making too, it's taken a bit of a different direction that I want to continue exploring.
When things go back to normal, where do you hope to perform and what's the first track you're playing?
London and Berlin are the shows I'm most looking forward to, seeing as they are basically both my homes. Then hopefully on to tour the US! First track will most likely be ‘Early Hours’ as it sets up the scene nicely with the intro for the rest of the album tracks.
Photographed by: Jacob Lindell
A woozy daydream of languid melodies begins to unfold in the first track of Berlin-based artist Bearcubs’ new album Early Hours. Out today, Bearcubs (Jack Ritchie) shares his ten-track cinematic journey, one that will ease any anxiety you might feel at home between its hazy euphoric moments and melodramatic vocals.
Ritchie’s compositional variance stems from his teenage years performing in punk rock bands and hip-hop groups, never settling for one singular sound. The album weaves between slow-burning RnB sensibilities to upbeat 90s dancefloor joints, showcasing that genre-blending instinct instilled in his production.
Following the breakout success of his debut record Ultraviolet, which earned him praise from the likes of Annie Mac and Zane Lowe, Ritchie found himself being asked to score the feature-length film Relativity, something he’d never have dreamt at 27 years old. It comes as no surprise when you hear his music - from the pensive cut ‘Screentime’ to the latest sultry single ‘Même Langue (ft. Munya)’ - he crafts a sonic realm of escapism, one that feels relatable in our current climate.
We sat down with Ritchie to find out more about the inspiration behind his most impressive work to date.
Congrats on releasing Early Hours today, how are you celebrating in quarantine?
Thanks! Last night I had a Zoom listening party on the balcony, where I played through some of the album tracks and chatted with people about it. That's the closest thing I can get to a real release party. We'll have a few drinks as well to celebrate tonight.
Your single 'Même Langue ft. Munya', is French for 'same language,' though ironically the lyrics are split between French and English. Do you speak French at all? What's the message behind this one?
I'm pretty sure I failed my French exams at school, so I wouldn't say the French language is a strength of mine. But there is still something I like about the sound of it. Même Langue was partly inspired by the Guru and Mc Solaar track 'Le bien, Le mal' which is a split language hip-hop track between English and French. I wanted to make a 90s dance track inspired song, it kind of hints at language not being a barrier to dancing and love.
You recently scored the German feature-length film, Relativity. Has that always been a passion or goal of yours? Were there any films or scores that inspired Early Hours?
Soundtracking is something I've always wanted to do, but I didn't think I'd be working on a feature length film so soon. So I was chuffed to say the least. There were quite a few films and soundtracks that I took as inspiration for the Relativity score. I'm a big fan of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and their score for 'The Social Network', they use these grainy textures and drones which create a very eerie, surreal atmosphere. I also was inspired by Mica Levi's score for 'Under the Skin', Cliff Martinez's score to 'Drive’, Angelo Badalamenti and Vangelis, the list goes on.
Moving from London to Berlin, were there cultural differences that influenced your creative process?
Mainly just the slower pace of life and freedom here. It gave me time to relax and think about what I wanted to do musically without any outside pressures. I've also been influenced a lot by the people I've met here, for example one of the first people I collaborated with here was producer and good friend of mine Narou, and the track 'Overthinking' we made ended up being the first single on my album.
You grew up playing in punk bands and hip-hop groups, what led you to this indie-electronic sound?
I studied Digital Music & Sound Arts at Brighton, which was a bit of a weird course but I met some people there that opened my eyes to new electronic music at the time. I remember hearing artists like Burial, Sbtrkt and Flying Lotus and it just blew my mind, I couldn't fathom how they had made those sounds. So that got me into electronic music more and made me want to produce. I guess now I'm trying to combine these electronic influences with more of the band and indie sounding stuff that I listened to growing up.
You have a podcast called 'Early Hours' too - who would your dream guest be to host?
Probably David Byrne of the Talking Heads. I'm a big fan of his music and I think he'd be a pretty funny and interesting character to talk to. Or maybe Frank Ocean if I could get him to spill any secrets.
Describe the perfect setting to listen to Early Hours.
On a night bus home after a night out or walking around the city at dusk watching the cars, people, life go by.
Are you creating new music now and how are you staying inspired inside?
Yeah I'm always making new music, especially now it's been a while since I finished Early Hours. I'm staying inspired by trying to get more in touch with my musical roots (as cheesy as that sounds), listening to older classics and legends, while keeping up to date with the sounds of now. I'm quite excited for the new music I'm making too, it's taken a bit of a different direction that I want to continue exploring.
When things go back to normal, where do you hope to perform and what's the first track you're playing?
London and Berlin are the shows I'm most looking forward to, seeing as they are basically both my homes. Then hopefully on to tour the US! First track will most likely be ‘Early Hours’ as it sets up the scene nicely with the intro for the rest of the album tracks.
Photographed by: Jacob Lindell
