Boy & Bear

While Sydney, Australia’s Boy & Bear quickly rose up the ranks of the indie-folk scene in the early 2010s, they’ve since become humble masters of lush, sweeping rock. Originally the solo project of singer/songwriter Dave Hosking, Boy & Bear grew into a full-fledged band by the end of 2009 with the addition of guitarist Killian Gavin, bassist Jake Tarasenko, mandolinist/banjoist/keyboardist Jon Hart and drummer Tim Hart. The transformation was significant: five-part harmonies lift the baroque-pop melodies of their 2011 Australian No. 1 debut album, Moonfire. They’ve built on that sound ever since with the ‘70s-inspired rock and soul of 2013’s Harlequin Dream and the synth-studded explorations of 2015’s live-recorded Limit of Love. But their chart-topping momentum would soon come to a halt when Hosking was diagnosed with a debilitating gastrointestinal condition. A series of successful treatments gave him hope—and plenty of lyric fodder—and the band returned with 2019’s Suck on Light, a cathartic comeback that captures Boy & Bear’s folk roots and richly layered rock experimentations.