Song: "Living Saints"
Artist: Polar Bear Club
Album: "Chasing Hamburg"
Year: 2009
"Living Saints" is a song that appears to be about a relationship that is basically over. In her eyes, at least, he is nothing more than a mere acquaintence. For the vocalist, however, he is not quite ready to move on from this relationship. He is not ready to break the ties, however it appears the ties have been permanently severed. Polar Bear Club formed as a band back in 2005, hailing from upstate New York. The band's very first release was in that same year in the form of a five song demo. The songs on that demo caught the ears of Triple Attack Records who signed the band and distributed their 2006 EP, "The Redder, The Better". This EP stated generating some buzz for the band, especially, oddly enough, in Australia. In 2007, the band signed to Red Letter Records. 2008 saw the band release their debut full length album, "Sometimes Things Just Disappear". Polar Bear Club supported this album by touring with such acts as The Gaslight Anthem, A Wilhelm Scream and American Steel, gaining more and more of a following along the way. In 2009, the band signed with Bridge Nine Records. The Gaslight Anthem took Polar Bear Club along with them to tour Europe, which would mark the first time the band had played overseas. After that tour, the band released their second album, "Chasing Hamburg". "Living Saints" was the first single and video for that album. 2010 saw the band play the Hevy Music Festival in the U.K. and the band also performed at the 2011 Soundwave Festival in Australia. 2011 also saw the band release another album, "Clash Battle Guilt Pride". While supporting this latest album, the band played both the Leeds Festival and the Reading Festival in the U.K. in 2012. The band also released a live acoustic album in 2012 called "Live At The Montage". In 2013, Polar Bear Club once again performed at Australia's Soundwave Festival then came back to the States to record their next album. In November of 2013, the band released their fourth LP, "Death Chorus". Many fans of the band will notice that vocalist Jimmy Stadt sounds a bit different on this album. The vocals are very clean on "Death Chorus" whereas most of the band's previous albums featured raspy, not quite but almost "screamy" vocals. Stadt explained that over the course of making records and touring since 2005, he had lost some range in his vocal chords. He had them checked out medically, but couldn't find what the problem was. He insisted that this change was not a change in direction for the band or to go mainstream, but he declared that in order for the songs to sound their absolute best, he had to change his vocal style because he couldn't take the strain on his vocal chords anymore. Currently, Polar Bear Club is touring in support of "Death Chorus". The band members of this band came together under all kinds of influences ranging from Hot Water Music to Third Eye Blind and you can tell in their music. While considered a post-hardcore/punk band, they are not afraid to incorporate pop melodies in some of their songs. This is a band that I have just recently began getting into and the more I listen, the more I like! A very solid band that I can't wait to hear more from.
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