Q&A - brownbear

We had the pleasure of catching up with brownbear this week. The Ayrshire artist released his second track of 2022 in the effortlessly catchy ‘Close Call’.

Your brand new single ‘Close Call’ drops tomorrow. It’s the second single of the year following on ‘One More Night’ released earlier this year. How good does it feel to be releasing music again?

It feels so good to have new music on the way. This is just the start as well. It takes a long time doing it independently but hopefully taking our time means that we deliver the best possible releases for our followers. I am really proud of this song as well, I feel it is really starting to capture what our Indie-Soul sound is all about.

Tell us a little about the recording process of your new music. What instruments do you play? Where do you record? Who else contributes to the record

I recorded the new record with Buzz Killer in between Glasgow & Paisley (JJ Recordings). From the start I wanted to set out and define what it meant to be an Indie-Soul act. The pitch from day one was to make a record that felt like the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill met Graceland by Paul Simon, whilst also staying true to our natural sound. For the most part, it is myself and Ross that play on the record but we had some excellent horns added by Mikey Owers.

‘Close Call’ has an infectious toe-tapping energy. The track is packed with soulfulness. Who are the artists that inspired your soul-tinged indie-pop sound?

I've always had such a mix of influences in my life. I think as a songwriter you do tend to draw from them all. Going into this record I was listening to a lot of Motown and a lot of Soul. I got really into Anderson Paak and how he fused genres whilst still staying in the commercial zone sonically. I wanted to do that with my own influences and backgrounds.

You’re running into a series of ‘Pay What You Can’ intimate acoustic shows across Scotland. Tell us a bit about that

For me, music is for the people. In recent times, it has become super expensive to see shows. Everyone should have access to music and times are tough so I wanted to try out a method of doing shows that could allow for people to have as much access as possible to see live music. There are a lot of music fans out there in the different communities in Scotland that currently feel alienated when it comes to music, it doesn't talk to them, it doesn't represent them. I want to bring music back to the community and back to the people.

What’s the one bit of advice you’d give to a musicians starting out in Scotland?

Be yourself, be proud of it and although it may take longer to get where you want to be than the artists that follow the trends, it will taste much sweeter when you do ge there... and you will.

And finally… your absolute number 1 snack you cannot live without

Oh, great question. I have just become vegan but I am also a huge chocolate fan, what a dilemma... So the addition of the new vegan Terry's Chocolate Orange Bar that tastes just like the original has been a godsend. I have definitely been over indulging.