This week, a new project from Oxford has landed squarely on your radar, not with a bang per se, but with a subtle glow that only comes from timeless songwriting. The Afterword have just closed out their debut EP, Floating Up To Meet You, with cinematic indie-pop, rock and folk single ‘Dancing Bear’ and it’s with this final installment that the UK-based duo have really made their mark.
Before we get into the track, let’s learn more about The Afterword. Under this moniker, they might have only just started releasing music earlier this year, but these two musicians are no strangers to the industry. Songwriter Tom Walkden has been known for collaborations with Morrissey’s co-writer Boz Boorer and Alex Billig is a classically trained pianist. They were also both part of another Oxford band called Wolventrix, which caught some blogosphere clout.
For Walkden and Billig, this latest chapter in their creative lives is arguably their most vulnerable as they embrace melancholia, self-derision, nostalgia and a recognition of the bittersweet reality of existence. As such, what strikes us most about ‘Dancing Bear’ is how deeply human it is.
Billig‘s deft piano arrangement and Walkden‘s easygoing acoustic guitar provide an elegant, understated foundation for the song, which drifts between ’60s folk-rock interludes, ’00s indie verses and an emphatic, soaring chorus. Drifting over the cinematic soundscape are noticeably surreal images, like in the distinctive chorus, “I floated up, yes I floated up to meet you, / As if holding onto a balloon, / Then like an old dancing bear, with shackles finally released, / I still danced the same routine for you.” As fantastical as these lyrics might be, The Afterword utilise these dreamlike visions to further emphasise the true absurdity of life.
If ‘Dancing Bear’ has also waltzed its way into your soul, then do go check out the rest of The Afterword‘s EP and if you happen to be in London on 7th November, the band have a gig at O’Neill’s Wardour Street that’s surely not one to miss.
You can also listen to ‘Dancing Bear’ in our Shades of Pop playlist.
Follow The Afterword:
