Boy & Bear are to Australia what AnnenMayKantereit are to Germany. Never really banal, but not confusing or irritating either. I could imagine: Melbourne, between years, student club. Peter and Jane meet. They have similar friends, wear similar clothes, and eat a high-protein diet. They are positively optimistic about their professional future.
And rather pessimistic about the world situation. But, hey, now, here, they want to forget all that and just be themselves. This is what this band indirectly advises you when they sing about getting older and their increasing calmness in dealing with life itself. A shy kiss in front of the door, first mindful sex with her, morning coffee in worn-out yet freshly washed T-shirts that Jane bought at the last two Boy & Bear concerts. “Oh, you were there too?” – “Sure, I’ve been listening to them since I was eleven” – “Great!”: Hurry back to bed.
Like the last five albums, TRIPPING OVER TIME again offers connectable indie rock that invites you to cuddle and dance. Text also appears. And acoustic guitar. And two-part male singing. In “All These Years” it says: “And I’d be lying if I said I ain’t got fears. And I’ve been trying to land it for all these years. Just trying to stand in the sun.” Exactly. Something like this is happily thought about and written about. That’s pretty nice, but unfortunately it doesn’t give the brooding, literature-loving student any new ideas about relationships, revolution and turmoil. And neither does the student. On the contrary.
This review appears in Musikexpress 1/2026.