Bear's Den Collaborate With Paul Frith On New Album Fragments
London folk-rock duo Bear’s Den have today released their new studio album, Fragments; a collaboration project with award-winning composer Paul Frith, who has worked with the likes of The xx and Radiohead.
The pair’s first meeting with Frith came during the recording sessions for their Ivor Novello-nominated debut album, Islands, in 2014. He would later go on to arrange the brass for the duo’s next three albums prior to Fragments.
During the time when band members Andrew Davie and Kevin Jones were recording for their third album So That You Might Hear Me, they talked to Frith about potentially re-imagining some of their songs using strings and piano. And thus, Fragments was born: 12 tracks from the band’s back catalogue reworked and rearranged with the help of some of London’s top string musicians, which was mastered by Abbey Road’s Christian Wright, who has previously worked with the band on Islands (2014) and Red Earth & Pouring Rain (2016).
Talking about the new project, American Songwriter wrote: "Frith brings out moods and tones to Davie’s voice that longtime fans will be enchanted by — whether it’s adding a crispness to Isaac or enhancing the drama of When You Break".
Watch a live performance of the band's track Auld Wives at London's EartH venue in 2018, as well as a discussion with both Frith and the band about the new record below.
