Written by Daniela Patrizi
Puff Gandolfo (vocals, loops, drums, clarinet), Daisy Emily Warne (bass synth, casio, omnichord, samples) and Luke Phillips (guitar, beats, samples, glockenspiel) , are the three members behind the project Us Baby Bear Bones.
I’ve never heard about them before and the music of the Brighton-based trio really surprised me. Discovering new music is always beautiful, discovering good new music is awesome! In this case it has been a great surprise since this trio is able to create an ethereally beautiful sound.
The wide range of instruments they use is the source of their weird and wonderful sound. The proof of that is their debut EP What Starts With A U Ends With An I, recorded by the band in their living room and released on June 10, 2013 via Brighton indie label Love Thy Neighbour.
The EP will be a limited edition of 216 copies and the peculiarity of this release is that each copy will have its own unique piece of artwork hand drawn by Puff Gandolfo. The buyer will be able to create a patchwork painting through the instructions indicated in each copy. This is a demonstration of the attention to details that the trio has in their music work. Their dream pop music style is really original: sugarless but sweet with exciting hooks, samples and beats.
What Starts With An A U Ends With An I is a five track-journey of delightful pop and approximately 20 minutes of a wonderful headphone experience.
‘Mountains’, ‘Sun’, ‘You’, ‘Rain’ and ‘Swamp’: reading the song titles is like picking the elements of a painted landscape where the music gives the appropriate shade to the sunlight.
The opening ‘Mountains’ is a standout, with a cascading melody and rushes of sheer passion. The beats and the vocals will blow your mind and will let you forget your troubles.
‘Sun’ shines whit its downtempo and electronic rhythm. While listening to this song it’s easy to imagine a window with the sun shining through. Have a look outside and the hypnotic, choral vocals will bring you into a glazed world where the sun is the main protagonist.
The following ‘Rain’ is the example of their ability of mixing sounds. The song starts light and soft like air, the voice is magic and goes over each note. Going ahead it becomes more and more powerful achieving the peak when Puss invokes the rain. And the power of this song is truly the voice of Puss, especially when she tell us how she’s been “burnt down and rebuilt“. It’s really a stunning song and my favorite from this EP.
The images of the video of ‘You’ are in line with the theme of the EP that is a beautiful and dramatic fairytale pop. This track is a sugarless pop song with a melodic, ambient warmth drenching the track in sunshine. The beats are really contagious and I’m sure you’ll be transported by them. The conclusion is a bit melancholic therefore a great contrast with the overall tone of the song.
The concluding track ‘Swarp’ is a trip of senses where the floating vocals work as enchanter siren. The harmonic sounds and haunting lyrics create a dream-like atmosphere. ‘Swarp’ is a minimalist dreamlike lullaby and its strong point is the stunning combination of Puff and Daisy’s vocals.
After listening to What Starts With A U Ends With An I I can say that the inseparable trio have created a dreamy EP. Play it loud or pipe it through headphones. If Us Baby Bear Bones is a new name to the you, there’s plenty to fall in love with.
