BEARCUBS BIOGRAPHY 

It’s seven years into the story of Bearcubs, the immersive solo project from 30 year old electronic artist Jack Ritchie.  A meticulously skillful producer, with a sound underpinned by warm textured synths, soulful feather-light vocals  and addictive sound design elements, Bearcubs has created his own fiercely independent path. After a string of  singles and two highly-acclaimed EPs which earned him recognition from the likes of The Fader, Mixmag, Noisey  and respected tastemakers such as Annie Mac and Zane Lowe, 2018 saw the release of his debut album Ultraviolet. Cementing him as a versatile producer and innovative songwriter, the album highlights the diversity of his  influences and inspirations ranging from minimalistic, ambient moments to powerful, heartwarming productions.  “Ultraviolet was more just about getting out a lot of ideas I had on my mind in a short space of time beyond what I  had released before”, Jack explains.  

Making a much-anticipated relocation to Berlin in 2019 to find new inspiration and collaborations, Bearcubs  discovered a new energy for creating music. As the stars aligned in his personal and creative world, he was offered  the opportunity to score the debut feature length film ‘Relativity’ by emerging director Mariko Minoguchi,  premiered at the Munich International Film Festival and nominated at the BFI London Film Festival. “For the first 6  months of being in Berlin I didn’t write much of my own music at all,” he reflects, “I was experiencing new things  and places every day. The slower pace of the city gave me space to absorb a lot.”  

Berlin’s notorious artistic freedom and acceptance, complemented by the creative community Bearcubs has had the  opportunity to be part of, has proved particularly transformative for him as an artist. “It has given me a lot of mental  and physical space to create new music”, he claims with a palpable excited confidence, “it feels like you can be  spontaneous and just go with the flow here, individual self expression seems to be more accepted here.”  

This time helped him to reset and discover his own voice within his music, “every song I write I am trying to get a  bit closer to the idea of what is really me.” This newfound freedom and perspective culminated with the birth of his  second album “Early Hours”, a varied and entrancing reflection on his time spent in London in the beginning of his  musical career.  

“‘Early Hours’ is a tangled day dream of different experiences, living in London working in a pub whilst trying to  write music, transient relationships, friendships fucked up and gained again, boredom, loneliness in the city, the hazy  euphoria of partying and being up till the early hours with your friends around you, thoughts of the real world out of  mind.’  

This battle between the realities of living in a fast-paced, ruthless metropolis and the hunger to express himself as an  artist are evident throughout his album, with uplifting and euphoric moments such as ‘Everyplace Is Life’ and  ‘Même Langue’, bona-fide odes to the freedom in youth, juxtaposed with introspective moments such as  ‘Screentime’ and ‘DLT’ that offer an acceptance in one’s shortcomings and insecurities. Musically the album  transitions from slow burning, RnB-infused moments to joyful, club ready tracks, showcasing Bearcubs’ ability to  move across the spectrum of genres whilst maintaining the intricacies of his early productions. Inevitably varied as  is his musical past, be it spending his teenage years in punk and hardcore bands, or playing with a 10-piece hip hop  band, ‘Early Hours’ is a testament to his willingness to defy genres.  

Berlin’s influence on the project permeated further than just musically, with the album artwork produced by  Bearcubs himself incorporating elements of the modern brutalist architecture so representative of the city’s image. “I  find the contrast between humans occupying these brutalist environments and the cold modernness of the places  themselves really interesting.”  

“I tried to look back to what originally inspired me growing up; my dad playing me a lot of jazz records and bands  like Steely Dan, hearing my brother mixing 90s house and old school hiphop vinyls, and the relentless exposure to  pop and r’n’b from the radio.”  

“Early Hours” garnered Bearcubs a slew of newfound support from across the globe, with features in Billboard,  Grammy Awards, Dancing Astronaut, Trax Magazine and radio plays on Triple J, BBC Radio 1, 6Music, gathering  20m streams across platforms.  

With the realities of the global pandemic hitting close to home, Bearcubs used the solitary time to consider the music  he really wanted to create, spending months in the studio working with a close knit collective of friends and artists.  What emerged from this period of focused isolation, both creatively and factually, is his third album “Weather  Report”.  

“This album feels like a bit of a fresh start because it shows honestly more of my personality than I’ve ever given  away before, I’m just being myself in the music and the way I sing.” Musically, it is a significant departure from his  established electronic sound of previous releases, opting instead towards finding “raw, interesting moments”.  “Weather Report’ has a fun and relaxed mood, “something you want to play on a summer’s day”, with swirling  guitars, live drums and heavily inspired by 60s and 70s film and TV music. “All the collaborators, both both  musically and visually, are friends and the process was a lot about having fun, hanging out and just jamming."