Polar Bear Club
Sometimes Things Just Dissapear

By Michelle Campbell

With melodies and hooks as addictive as narcotics, meet Polar Bear Club, post-hardcore’s new favourite dealers. Just as the mid- to late ’90s emo style popularised by bands like Hot Water Music and Small Brown Bike becomes more past than present, five young men from Western New York are exploding onto the scene, fuelled by a self-proclaimed love for Taco Bell, and packing unrelenting power and passion. For a debut full-length, Sometimes Things Just Disappear has classic written all over it. Featuring dual vocals with the perfect contrast between assaulting aggression and emotional melodies on top of confident songwriting, this album may quickly place the band within the ranks of many old favourites. The raw intensity that Polar Bear Club are capable of is best embodied in tracks like “The Bug Parade,” whereas “Convinced I’m Wrong” starts the listener off in a style reminiscent of the Casket Lottery, only to deliver what is arguably the most powerful chorus on the album. With such impressive depth and a live show rumoured to match, this band are sure to take 2008 by storm.

Where did the title come from?
Guitarist Chris Browne: We were having a really tough time coming up with a name that we could all agree on and were well in the midst of a competition amongst ourselves that we affectionately dubbed “the Taco Bell Challenge,” during which we all tried to eat one of every single item on the menu over the course of our studio time. Our old bass player [Greg Odom] was trying to order his Mexican Pizza and told the manager he was short, to which he replied, “You know what? Sometimes things just disappear,” and proceeded to take out a mysterious card and swipe it, giving Greg all of his food for free.

How would you compare your full-length to your EP?
The member changes in between the two created some different chemistry in both the songwriting and in the studio itself, for sure. We tried some new things on the full-length, but the one constant is that we’ve always been really genuine about what we’re trying to do. There may be some stylistic differences but I don’t think any of it was consciously decided. It was a very natural progression.

Are there plans to release the new album on vinyl?
Yes! We’re working out details as this is being written. True to form, we’re totally disorganised and can only blame ourselves, but it will definitely be coming out on vinyl sooner or later. (Red Leader)

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